BARAM, March 2 — Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg has conveyed Sarawak’s view on the state’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) in a meeting with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said that Abang Johari told Muhyidddin how the state felt about its rights under the MA63, which is a crucial issue to the state government.
Uggah said the prime minister appreciated the state government’s view on the state’s rights.
He said Muhyiddin also expressed his appreciation to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) for its support for him to be the prime minister.
Uggah and another Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, accompanied the chief minister in paying a courtesy call to Muhyiddin at his residence in Kuala Lumpur yesterday afternoon.
Uggah, who is also PBB deputy president, also rubbished claims in social media that the GPS government has helped set up the new federal government, adding that the claims were way off the mark.
“The state government was only requested to help in choosing the new prime minister.
“We are not part of the new federal government under Muhyiddin. We have not joined them. We are merely being friendly to it,” he told reporters after attending a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of 12 road projects at Long Bedian sub-district in the interior of Baram in Miri Division.
He said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government should not blame anyone else for its collapse on February 24 after the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the prime minister and the withdrawal of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) from the ruling coalition
“It was its own doing. It is to be blamed for its own collapse,” he said.
Uggah said GPS initially supported Dr Mahathir as the prime minister, but later shifted its support to Muhyiddin.
“What the chief minister had stressed is that Dr Mahathir kept on changing his stance, which had not made the situation an easy one,” he said.
On the 12 road projects costing RM283 million under the Highland Development Authority (HDA), Uggah said contracts for the construction have been tendered out.
He added the state government is prepared to give more future allocations for projects like power and water supplies, repairing of dilapidated schools and income-generating agricultural programmes.
