No need to discuss Malaysia Agreement anymore, says Reform president

KUCHING, Nov 13, 2016 - Sarawak Reform Party (Reform) says that there is no necessity for further discussion as all the terms, conditions, safeguards and assurances had already been set in concrete by the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGC) of Feb 27, 1963 and Malaysia Agreement signed on July 9, 1963.

 Malaysia Agreement and IGC Report have already outlined the terms, safeguards and conditions for Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia with Malaya, Sabah and Singapore

"Malaysia Agreement was entered into as an international treaty by five nations – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore to form the political union of the Federation of  Malaysia," Reform president Lina Soo said in a statement today.

"This international treaty cannot be amended or varied, and  any further discussion would necessitate all five governments to go back to the negotiating table to resolve or terminate the Treaty, or come up with a new Treaty," she explained.

She added Article VIII of the MA63 provides the safeguard that the governments of the Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak will take such legislative, executive or other action as may be required to implement the assurances, undertakings and recommendations contained in Chapter 3 of, and Annexes A & B to the IGC Report , in so far as they are not implemented by express provision of the Constitution of Malaysia.

"Hence there is no necessity for the Sarawak government to enter into further discussion or re-negotiation  with the federal government except to ask for MA63 compliance with immediate effect. 

"If this is not carried out, then it is sheer hypocrisy and a charade to cover up the government’s failure to honour MA63 tantamount to a repudiation of the international treaty," Lina said.

She further said that, the conception that we need to refer to the Cobbold Comission Report is erroneous.

Lina, who has researched and written two books on the formation of Malaysia – Sarawak Real Deal and Sarawak Chronicle -  based upon the declassified colonial documents found at the British Archives , claims that the Cobbold Commission Report is a sham and a farce, and should not be a reference point for our quest for Sarawak rights.

"Whether Singapore’s exit from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 had abrogated the Malaysia Agreement, this is the constitutional question which only the signatory governments or the court can answer," Lina concludes .