Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister, said the resolutions included recognising Sabah and Sarawak’s public works departments and the departments of irrigation and drainage as technical departments under Treasury Instruction 182 (AP182).
Additionally, amendments to the Inland Revenue Board Act 1995 have been made to appoint representatives from the two state governments as permanent members of the board.
“Other matters resolved were the handover of power to regulate gas supply in Sabah, the administration of the judiciary in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the preparation of special guidelines for the resumption of land reserved for federal purposes in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
Fadillah said this in a statement after chairing the first MA63 implementation action council technical meeting of 2025 at the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya.
He said the unity government had also finalised the transfer of electricity regulatory powers to the Sabah government, and proposed amendments to Article 95B of the Federal Constitution concerning legislative power modifications for Sabah and Sarawak.
Another milestone achieved was the conversion of Bintulu port’s status from a federal port to a state port. The government also addressed workforce-related concerns in the two states.
“In addition, the special interim grant to Sabah and Sarawak has been doubled to RM600 million each starting this year,” he said.
Fadillah said today’s meeting was crucial in formulating pragmatic follow-up action on outstanding MA63-related demands that have yet to be fully implemented.
He said this aligns with the decisions made during the first MA63 implementation action council meeting of 2024, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sept 12.
The meeting also reviewed six presentation papers from various ministries and departments, including updates on MA63-related matters under the finance ministry, and the report from the working committee on the Sabah and Sarawak civil service.
Fadillah said the discussions also covered a proposed tourism law amendment, Sabah-Sarawak-Kalimantan border development, and reports on the progress of health and education in both states.
He said all decisions agreed upon today would be brought to the next meeting for consideration and agreement.