Commitment to set right anomaly in Malaysia agreement for Sarawak - Najib

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he and Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg were committed to seeing corrected any anomaly in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 for Sarawak.

The commitment was also due to their being the sons of the leaders who had signed the agreement, he said.

"My late father (Tun Abdul Razak Hussein) signed on behalf of the Federation of Malay States while Tun Openg, Abang Johari's father, signed on behalf of Sarawak.

"Thus, as sons of the signatories, we must respect the terms and conditions under the agreement," he said when opening the RM4.2-million Medan Selera Lundu here today.

Najib said the late chief minister, Tan Sri Adenan Satem, had a very strong spirit of fighting for the rights of the state when he took over the leadership.

"I can understand why he did this as I personally believe that as leaders we must feel the pulse (of the people) on the ground.

"Sarawakians had told Adenan that something had gone wrong with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 because many of the state's rights had eroded over time, being taken over by Putrajaya, perhaps unintentionally," he said.

Najib reiterated his readiness to talk and negotiate to come up with a win-win situation for both the state and the federal governments.

"As a family within the Barisan Nasional we are ready to talk and to negotiate and to accommodate where there is the need," he said.

Najib said he was fully convinced that Sarawakians wanted to remain in the federation in order for the state to move forward.

On the Pan Borneo Highway, the Prime Minister said Adenan had wanted the project to start from Telok Melano, Sarawak's western-most tip.

"I agreed to his request, not knowing that this would incur a high cost because we need to build six bridges and a 32.7-km stretch (of road).

'Nonetheless, I agreed and was happy with his suggestion although this cost the government RM580 million as Adenan had said that area is part of Sarawak and Sarawak is part of Malaysia," he said. -- Bernama