Put aside political ideology, let's sit down to discuss Sabah rights - CM

The Sabah state government wants all quarters, including the opposition, to put aside political ideologies and to sit down together to discuss and determine the rights of Sabah.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said this was of utmost importance to ensure that whatever needs and benefits for Sabah were achieved in the interest of the people in the state.

He said this included giving cooperation in the Committee to Study the Rights of Sabah in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 which also invited the opposition to look at whatever rights for Sabah which should be demanded from the Federal government.

"In demanding the Sabah rights and asking for anything from the Federal Government, we don't discriminate between the opposition nor the government. We are together.

"We are in the state government cabinet, whatever is good for Sabah and the people of Sabah, why not come... Let us sit down, think and discuss. We may have different ideologies but for the good of Sabah, we will seek from the Federal government. That's what we need," he said.

Musa was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR-Bingkor) who wanted to know whether the state government listed in detail the state government revenue included in the revenue collection of the Federal Government at the Sabah State Assembly Sitting today.

Earlier, Sabah Special Functions Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang said the Study Committee on the Rights of Sabah in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 had invited 17 political parties to attend the hearing held at the State Assembly Building on Jan 26.

He said 10 political parties including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Pertubuhan Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Bersatu (UPKO), DAP and PKR had sent their representatives and had given their views and opinions on the rights of Sabah under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

"Nine of the 10 political parties had submitted written arguments. In addition, proceedings of the hearing were recorded verbatim and the report on the proceedings was prepared with assistance from the State Assembly secretariat," he said.

Teo said the committee had another meeting on March 24 to make the preparatory report to be tabled at the state cabinet meeting before being forwarded to the Steering Committee at the National level in the near future.

"Currently, work on the preparation report was in the final stages," he said.

Teo was replying to the original question from Chan Foong Hin (DAP-Sri Tanjong) who wanted to know the development on the empowerment process from the Federal Government to the State Government. -- Bernama