KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Putrajaya is committed towards restoring Sabah and Sarawak’s autonomous powers under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asserted today in an interview with Oriental Daily.
Answering questions by The Borneo Post, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) de facto leader, however, cautioned that the empowerment of the East Malaysian states must not result in unfettered corruption.
“My friends in Sarawak and Sabah know we want their states to be empowered but not to empower corruption. As you decentralise power from the federal to the province, in the process, you decentralise corruption,” he told the Chinese daily.
“So that’s our concern. There is no problem about giving powers — we make sure the financial disciplines are observed because the reforms start from KL, Putrajaya. So the reforms must continue to other areas.”
Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown recently told Malay Mail that she is optimistic Putrajaya will not lose sight of the corruption allegations involving Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Anwar said the details regarding the move have to be ironed out first, but first on the agenda is the establishment of a Cabinet committee to review and monitor the fair implementation of MA63 within the first 100 days of PH administration, and deliver a report within six months.
The PKR de facto leader also denied rumours that the Barisan Nasional Sarawak state government is joining PH at the federal level.
“Nobody says they are joining. They have been elected and we have to accept for now that they have the mandate, so we work with them.
“However, they also have to work with the federal government and understand as well that they have a federal government with new policies,” he added, referring to the state government.
“I think to be fair, there is also change from the time Taib Mahmud was in charge to Abang Johari now. We have to accept that. Sarawakians know that,” he added.
