Sabah, Sarawak's Experiences Must Be Seen As Part of Malaysia's Shared History - Muhammad Kamil

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11  (Bernama) -- The history and challenges faced by Sabah and Sarawak must be viewed as part of Malaysia’s collective experience in efforts to elevate the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) into a national narrative, said PKR Youth (AMK) chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim.

The Political Secretary to the Finance Minister said a national narrative went beyond asking people in the Peninsula to understand the demands of Sabah and Sarawak, as it required their experiences to be recognised as part of the country’s shared experience.

“The history of Sabah and Sarawak is our history. Poverty in the interior of Sabah is not solely a problem for Sabahans, just as educational disadvantage in Sarawak cannot be viewed as an issue far removed from the life of a young person in Selangor, Kedah or Kelantan,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Welcoming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call to implement MA63 as a national narrative, Muhammad Kamil said it not only opened up broader avenues for discussions on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak, but also encouraged Malaysians to re-examine their understanding of the country’s history, the basis of its formation and the meaning of Malaysia itself.

He said that more than six decades after the formation of Malaysia, national discourse remained heavily centred on the perspective of the Peninsula, while issues concerning MA63, the status of Sabah and Sarawak, development demands and relations with the federal government were often regarded merely as regional matters.

“After all, the history of Malaysia’s formation never cast Sabah and Sarawak merely as footnotes to a nation that was already fully formed,” he said.

Muhammad Kamil said that while significant progress had been made and various matters concerning MA63 had been resolved or restored through negotiations, nation-building could not be achieved solely through constitutional provisions or the division of powers.

He said it also required a sense of belonging, equality of opportunity, respect for diversity and the conviction that every child born in Tawau, Kapit, Kangar or Kuala Lumpur had an equal stake in the nation’s future.

He said Malaysia was born out of the courage to build a federation spanning seas and territories, bringing together communities from diverse cultural, religious and historical backgrounds that were willing to share a common future within a single nation.

“This is the true meaning of a federation, and it is a concept that must be understood as we strive to make MA63 part of the national narrative.

Earlier, after chairing the 2026 MA63 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting in Kota Kinabalu, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the implementation of MA63 must be made part of the national narrative, rather than being viewed merely as an issue specific to Sabah and Sarawak.

-- BERNAMA