Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said that 11 of the demands made by Sabah and Sarawak in relation to MA63 have been resolved.
They include the handover of regulatory power over gas supply, amending the Inland Revenue Board Act to appoint representatives of their state governments as permanent members of the board, and administration of the judiciary in the two states, among others.
Local media had previously reported that there were 29 demands that were under discussion.
Mr Fadillah – who hails from Sarawak and chairs the MA63 technical committee – said that seven of these demands were settled under Mr Anwar’s administration, three under the tenure of Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob and one during the premiership of Muhyiddin Yassin.
He, however, added that there were still other matters that needed to be resolved, including state rights over continental shelves, oil royalty and cash payments for petroleum, stamp duty as well as the share of federal parliamentary seats among others.
Meanwhile, Mr Anwar on Sep 16 said that the federal government is determined to uplift the dignity of all states in Malaysia, especially those in rural, remote and poverty-stricken areas.
He expressed confidence that this can be achieved through collaboration, dialogue and teamwork between the federal and state governments, including those from Sabah and Sarawak.
“For Malaysia to succeed, whoever becomes prime minister, minister or leader must serve all Malaysians, regardless of the background,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by Bernama.
He further called on all Malaysians to celebrate her people’s international successes, irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion, citing the recent triumphs of its Paralympics athletes at the recently concluded Games in Paris.
“We do not question their origins, ethnicity or religion. We are simply proud that Malaysians have brought honour by winning medals at the Paris Paralympics. This is the spirit we want to cultivate among us,” Mr Anwar reportedly said.
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