ADUN SPEAKS | Using PDA 1974 to deny Sabah's right contrary to MA63

Silence does not equal surrender.”At the time of Malaysia’s formation, land and minerals were matters of state jurisdiction. More critically, the federal government’s reliance on PDA 1974 exposes the weakness of its own argument. To equate MA63 with PDA, or to suggest that PDA lawfully supersedes MA63 safeguards, is legally unsustainable. MA63 is part of the constitutional architecture of Malaysia; PDA is not. Sabah joined Malaysia on the basis that its constitutional position, territorial rights, and economic foundations would be protected.