Kota Kinabalu: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali accused Warisan of misleading the public by repeatedly claiming it completed 17 out of 21 Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) demands during its 2018–2020 administration, calling the assertion “misleading and unsupported by facts.”
He said Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had consistently “sold the narrative” that his party delivered most MA63 items while in government, despite the absence of any official records to support the claim.
Armizan, a former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department who oversaw the MA63 secretariat under the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS), said he had full access to official documents and discussions involving the Federal, Sabah and Sarawak governments.
“Raising or discussing an issue does not mean it has been completed. In 2023 this matter surfaced, and when I responded, only then did Shafie correct himself, saying it wasn’t completed but merely agreed upon.
“This is because completion requires formal decisions, Cabinet approval and evidence of implementation through designated legal or administrative instruments,” he said in a video statement posted on his Facebook page that went viral on Monday.
He added that Warisan appeared to be “running out of material to sell to the people,” hence recycling the claim of having completed 17 MA63 items.
Armizan said he reviewed Warisan leaders’ statements but found no specific details, dates or documentation supporting the alleged 17 completed items.
“As someone who handled MA63 at the federal level, I find it puzzling that Shafie keeps repeating that Warisan completed the 17 claims. If an issue was merely raised or discussed, that does not mean it was completed,” he said.
He then highlighted two issues often cited by Warisan which he described as “factually inaccurate.”
Armizan said Shafie had taken credit for restoring Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners although the Warisan-led federal administration failed to pass the constitutional amendment in April 2019.
“The amendment — intended to revise Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution — fell short of the required two-thirds majority when only 138 MPs voted in favour.
“All Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) MPs opposed it because the amendment did not explicitly link to MA63. The failure happened during Warisan’s federal tenure,” he said.
Armizan, who is also Papar MP, noted that the amendment was later successfully passed on Dec 14, 2021 with the support of 200 MPs under a different federal administration. It was approved by the Dewan Negara on Dec 22, 2021 — also not during Warisan’s time in power.
He also dismissed Warisan’s claim that it had secured Sabah’s authority over deep-sea (C2 zone) fishing licences, saying the approval and implementation only took place in 2021 under the GRS-led state government.
The licensing powers, he said, were approved by the MA63 Special Council and endorsed by the Federal Cabinet on Oct 29, 2021, followed by an official handover ceremony on Dec 4, 2021.
“It was Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee who handed the empowerment letter to Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor. This happened after Warisan’s time,” he said.
Calling Warisan’s narrative “fiction, not fact,” Armizan challenged the party to list the remaining 15 items it claimed to have completed.
He contrasted Warisan’s record with what he described as actual achievements made during his own tenure as minister from December 2022 to December 2023.
Among the MA63 matters formally approved and implemented during that period were:
- Recognition of Sabah and Sarawak JKR and JPS as Technical Departments under Treasury Instruction 182 (Cabinet approval on Jan 4, 2023).
- Transfer of gas supply regulatory powers to the Sabah Government (Dec 21, 2022–Jan 10, 2023), including passage of the Sabah Energy Commission Bill 2023 and the Sabah Gas Supply Bill 2023.
- Amendment of the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) Act to appoint Sabah and Sarawak as permanent board members (approved by Cabinet in 2023; passed in Dewan Negara on Nov 27, 2023).
- Special guidelines for returning federally reserved land to Sabah and Sarawak (gazetted Sept 27, 2023).
- Transfer of electricity supply regulatory powers to Sabah (gazetted Dec 27, 2023).
Armizan said these achievements were the result of constructive collaboration between the Federal Government led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the GRS-led Sabah Government.
“This is the difference between the commitment shown during Warisan’s time in the Federal Government and the work style of today’s GRS State Government and the Madani Federal Government.
“I am grateful that within one year of leading the MA63 secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Department, several matters were not just agreed upon but approved and implemented through official instruments.
“We don’t just talk, claim and over-claim — we walk the talk, with work in progress. We deliver,” he said, urging voters to “save Sabah from Warisan’s fiction” and support GRS in the coming election.
