The Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) did not cease to have effect after the Federal Constitution was enacted but remains a living agreement with its commitments and responsibilities still relevant and binding, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
He urged all parties to understand the value and meaning of Malaysia Day by acknowledging Article VIII of MA63, which he described as one of the terms agreed upon by the country’s founding leaders.
“This term is an affirmation of the commitments and responsibilities of all parties who agreed to the agreement to form the Federation of Malaysia,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Armizan said Malaysia, which was formed in 1963, is now 63 years old, while Sept 16 was only formally recognised as a significant date in the national calendar and celebrated as Malaysia Day from 2010.
He said awareness and understanding of the country’s formation should go beyond the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948, the social contract between the country’s three main communities and Malaya’s independence in 1957, and include full acceptance of MA63 as the “birth certificate” of the Federation of Malaysia.
Armizan said Malaysia did not need a new agreement or what some parties refer to as a “new deal”.
“This is because the fact is that the terms of the agreement expressly show that MA63 would not cease to exist once the Federal Constitution was enacted.
“MA63 remains alive and the commitments and responsibilities outlined remain relevant and binding, then, now and forever,” he said.
He also expressed hope that Malaysia would continue to become a stronger and more developed nation while remaining prosperous and safe for all Malaysians.
