MELAKA: . Ismail, who is chairman of a special council on MA63, said the council not only played a role in unravelling some pending issues regarding the rights and status of Sabah and Sarawak, but also emphasised efforts to develop the two states. “At the Malaysia Day celebration last year, the federal government had given an assurance to pay close attention to issues related to the interests of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
“History proves that it was not easy to form Malaysia, to build understanding and reach a consensus among the Malay states, Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Singapore.“The resistance that was present at that time was both internal and external, including communist insurgency, the confrontation against the formation of Malaysia, economic challenges, as well as religious, racial, cultural and linguistic conflicts.