Four NGOs and a think tank have urged Putrajaya to negotiate a “Malaysia Agreement 1963 Plus” (MA63+) deal with the Sabah and Sarawak governments to affirm the autonomy of the Bornean states and decentralise power.
The organisations said a new agreement was needed to restore the autonomy of both states as special regions due to a growing perception among Sabahans and Sarawakians that the federal government was not committed to fulfilling MA63.
In a statement, they said the MA63+ should build on the existing agreement and provide Sabah and Sarawak autonomy in education, health and labour, which was only given to Singapore when Malaysia was formed in 1963.
The joint statement was issued by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Projek Sama, Bersih, Tindak Malaysia and Rise of Social Efforts.
They also said the new agreement should involve amendments to the Federal Constitution instead of administrative concessions or transfer of power through ministerial decisions.
The organisations suggested officially recognising Sabah and Sarawak as regions under the constitution, and also to amend provisions on the allocation of seats in the Dewan Rakyat and Senate, as well as grants, taxes and fees.
They mooted forming a new inter-governmental committee to negotiate the proposed constitutional amendments.
“Many states in Peninsular Malaysia also want to have decentralisation with more legislative powers, executive responsibilities and fiscal resources.
“They can form an alliance with Sabah and Sarawak to collectively negotiate with the federal government for a national decentralisation agenda that would devolve more powers to all states,” the organisations said.
However, they maintained that the Sabah and Sarawak governments should enjoy more powers than the peninsula states.
