Have ‘neutral’ Brit chair MA63 committee, lawyer proposes

Lawyer Robert Lau said he felt the 100-days promise by the Pakatan Harapan government to set up the committee has not been fulfilled as the committee was not fully formed yet. ― Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — A lawyer from East Malaysia has proposed the special committee on the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63) to be chaired by a neutral party from the United Kingdom instead of politicians from Malaysia.

Robert Lau of Stephen Robert & Wong Advocates based in Sibu, Sarawak said the committee should never be headed by politicians or Cabinet ministers as there could be possibilities of it being politicised — as evident in the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

“It should go back to the original signatory of the agreement, which is the United Kingdom, to look (into) it,” he said during the 100 Days: Scorecard on GE14 Promises at the International Malaysia Law Conference 2018 in the Royale Chulan Hotel.

Lau also said he felt the 100-days promise by the Pakatan Harapan government to set up the committee has not been fulfilled as the committee was not fully formed yet.

De facto law minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong had in July in a Parliamentary reply, stated that the special committee would comprise representatives from peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak who have expertise in the Malaysia Agreement.

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