KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, today urged lawmakers to tread carefully on matters that could create friction between states, as he called for diplomacy to trump hostility and suspicion.

In an address to open this term’s Parliament proceedings, he stressed the need to honour the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, but said the collective interest of Malaysia must take precedence.

“The foundation of Malaysia’s formation is through the Malaysia Agreement 1963. It unified Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as one country,” the King said.

“It is only appropriate that we return to the original spirit of Malaysia’s formation—that is mutual respect as well as close cooperation between the states and the federal government. Members of the hall must always be careful not to incite to the point tension between states rises,” he added.

“The reality is the rights of all states must be respected. However, the collective interests of Malaysians must always take precedence.”

For decades, leaders in East Malaysia have claimed that rights granted to them under MA63 were eroded or ignored.

In recent years, there has been a massive political push to “restore” these rights, resulting in a more hardened nativist “Sabah for Sabahans” and “Sarawak First” sentiment that has given rise to secessionist rhetoric.

Parties from the peninsula were trounced in the recent Sabah state elections in what analysts said underpinned the growing rejection of Putrajaya’s influence in the Bornean states.