KUCHING: Kota Sentosa State assemblyman, Wilfred Yap has emphasised that Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) remain constitutionally protected, regardless of past parliamentary debates on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA).
Commenting on remarks by former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Harun, Yap said it was important to remember that Malaysia practises constitutional supremacy, not parliamentary supremacy.
“No Act of Parliament can override or diminish constitutional safeguards, including those entrenched under MA63, without the proper constitutional amendment procedures and the consent of Sarawak,” he stressed.
Yap explained that MA63 was not just a political arrangement but an international treaty and constitutional foundation for the formation of Malaysia. “Among its safeguards were Sarawak’s rights over land and natural resources. The fact that Sarawak MPs supported the Bill in 1974 does not extinguish Sarawak’s entrenched rights under MA63,” he said.
He added that recent arrangements between the federal government and the Sarawak government, recognising PETROS as the sole aggregator of gas in the state, were proof that Sarawak’s rights under MA63 must be practically respected.
“In line with the spirit of the Rukun Negara, especially Keluhuran Perlembagaan, Sarawak’s rights under MA63 must be protected, respected, and upheld in both law and practice,” Yap said.
By Connie Chieng