Adenan To Meet Najib In Putrajaya Today For Further Talks On Devolution Of Power

KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem will meet with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today to discuss matters regarding the devolution of power, Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Reports and Recommendations, Malaysia Agreement 1963, Malaysia Act and Cobbold Commission Report.

According to a press statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, the chief minister will submit two memoranda to Najib on the state government’s position on the matter during the meeting, to be held in Putrajaya.

Adenan talked about the devolution of power process quite extensively during the recent 18th State Legislative Assembly sitting.

The chief minister had earlier made known of his intention to have the negotiations on the second phase of devolution of power be discussed immediately.This, Adenan pointed out, came following a show of response by the federal government to the state’s request.

“I welcome the statement by Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri on administrative and constitutional empowerment in relation to our request to the federal government to consider the Cobbold Commission Report and recommendations, the IGC Report and Recommendations, the Malaysia Act and the Malaysia Agreement,” Adenan said in a statement issued by his press secretary Ambrose Cheng recently.

Adenan, however, acknowledged that the process might take some time due to its complexity and that it had long been drawn out.

In her statement, Nancy disclosed that she and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman had been appointed by the federal cabinet to pursue the second phase of devolution of power on the state’s rights under the constitution in respect of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 together with the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

According to her, the first high-level meeting held on June 13 agreed to the setting up of a technical committee comprising representatives nominated by Sarawak and Sabah governments together with representatives from the federal government and historians from the two states.- BP