KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The Communications Ministry is considering conducting a dedicated study to gauge public understanding of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the history of Malaysia’s formation.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said neither the ministry nor its agencies, including the Malaysian Information Department (Japen), had conducted a baseline study for this purpose.

She said she was prepared to bring the proposal to the ministry and Japen for further consideration.

“At present, neither RTM nor Japen has conducted a survey to measure public understanding of MA63 and the formation of Malaysia.

“I will bring the proposal back to the ministry for further discussion with Japen to determine whether the department can conduct the survey,” she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) on whether the ministry was prepared to conduct a perception study to gauge public understanding, particularly in the Peninsula, of Sabah and Sarawak’s rights under MA63.

On existing public information efforts, Teo said Japen had uploaded 115 posts, including 21 creative content pieces, on its official social media channels about the formation of Malaysia and the implementation of MA63. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: Japen stands for Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia in Malay, or the Malaysian Information Department in English.