KUALA LUMPUR: The demands sought by Sabah and Sarawak are not new and have been rooted in provisions outlined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which was pivotal in the country's formation.
Chief Political Secretary to the Sarawak Premier Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said without the agreement, the establishment of the nation of Malaysia would have been impossible.
"It is important to note that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 has been acknowledged as a constitutional instrument within the Federal Constitution.
"This demonstrates the significance of this agreement in determining the rights and positions of Sabah and Sarawak within Malaysia.
"All the demands made are rightful entitlements based on the original agreement and the Federal Constitution, as previously highlighted by the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem – 'no more, no less'," he said in a statement today.
His statement came in the wake of Pasir Gudang member of Parliament Hassan Abdul Karim's statement titled "Ujian dan cabaran terhadap kelangsungan sistem persekutuan di Malaysia" (Challenges and tests to the continuity of the federal system in Malaysia).
In the statement, Hassan mentioned some of Sarawak's demands that he claimed as challenging the authority of the Federal Government.
On the issue of oil and the establishment of Petros, Fazzrudin said the matter was based on existing laws in Sarawak, such as the Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 and the Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016.
"Therefore, the related demands are legitimate rights of Sarawak according to the law."
He added; "Similarly, in the matter of education and the use of the English language in Sarawak, this issue is covered under Paragraph 17 of the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGC) 1962.
"As such, requests and demands from Sarawak should not be seen as a challenge to the federalism system. Instead, every issue or right being demanded is aligned with the Federal Constitution, and is further strengthened by MA63, advocated through diplomatic and harmonious negotiations between both state and federal governments."
Fazzrudin said Sarawak's courage in voicing out its demands was encouraged by the Federal Government's openness in listening to issues of the state government.
"It is not due to the weakness of the Federal Government as stated. This demonstrates the Federal Government's ability to collaborate effectively with the state government.
"Therefore, there should be no cause for concern. The ability to collaborate and resolve issues, not only demands from Sarawak and Sabah, but is also the evidence of the success of the federalism system and good relations between the federal and state governments."