本文仅供一般参考之用，不得以任何方式使用或解释为法律建议。所有文章都经过执业律师的审查，以确保准确性。
注：本文最初写于2017年7月]
在联邦政府宣布将于7月生效的旅游税后不久，砂拉越州政府出人意料地撤回了马来西亚旅游局的州代表，并立即生效。
此举相信是因为砂拉越要求推迟7月实施，但遭到拒绝。但有趣的是，砂拉越州旅游部长拿督阿都卡里姆拉曼哈姆扎表示，旅游业是1963年马来西亚协议的一部分来讨论的问题：
如果他们不想在 Semenanjung 推迟，那由他们决定。但至少在沙巴和砂拉越推迟......你必须尊重1963年的马来西亚协议。还有一件事——州政府必须在此事上有发言权；也许州政府希望退还部分征收的税款。”——Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah，《迈艾邮报在线》引述。
在最近的消息中，现任砂拉越首席部长 Abang Johari Openg 宣布，他将派遣一个律师团队前往伦敦研究马来西亚协议的细节：
这个协议不仅仅是一个协议；我们希望得到正确的事实，因为如果我们想提出索赔，我们必须做足功课，否则我们只是朝目标射击而没有击中目标。” - Abang Johari Openg，《当今大马》援引。
那么......马来西亚协议到底是什么？
快速回顾一下你在学校教科书中读到的内容，我们今天所知道的马来西亚最初是根据马来亚联邦协议于 1957 年 8 月 31 日成立的：
第三条，马来亚联合邦独立协议（部分）：
“从一千九百五十七年八月三十一日起，马来各州和殖民地将组成一个新的联邦，名称为……马来亚联邦……”
然而，这不包括沙巴和砂拉越。这种纳入实际上是后来发生的，当时签署了另一项协议，导致沙巴、砂拉越以及新加坡和马来亚联邦合并，形成现在的马来西亚联邦。
该协议就是《1963 年马来西亚协议》（MA63），其中规定了三个州同意合并马来亚联邦组建马来西亚的条款和条件：
1963 年马来西亚协定第 1 条
“北婆罗洲和砂拉越殖民地以及新加坡国应根据本协定所附宪法文书与马来亚联邦现有的沙巴州、砂拉越州和新加坡州组成联邦，此后联邦将成为联邦。称为马来西亚。”
该协议就是《1963 年马来西亚协议》（MA63），其中规定了三个州同意合并马来亚联邦组建马来西亚的条款和条件：
1963 年马来西亚协定第 1 条
“北婆罗洲和砂拉越殖民地以及新加坡国应根据本协定所附宪法文书与马来亚联邦现有的沙巴州、砂拉越州和新加坡州组成联邦，此后联邦将成为联邦。称为马来西亚。”
除了成为东马更大自治权和（现在的）旅游税问题争论的核心之外，MA63 也是一份非常有趣的文件。例如，你知道吗...
1. MA63是一项国际协议
MA63是一项国际协议，于1970年9月21日在联合国注册，注册号为10760。作为一项国际协议，这意味着马来西亚议会无权修改MA63的条款。
议会能做的就是通过新的法律，使国际条约具有法律效力。例如，国会通过了《1963年马来西亚法案》，使MA63具有法律效力。联邦宪法的某些部分也进行了修改，以纳入马来西亚成立期间沙巴、沙越和马来亚之间达成的协议条款。
据称，自1957年以来，联邦宪法已被修改了700多次，但MA63中的条款自1963年签署之日起一直保持不变，因为修改它超出了议会的管辖范围。
2. 与马来西亚法律不同，MA63不能在马来西亚议会中修改
修改 MA63 条款的唯一方法是所有签署方以平等身份坐下来进行修改。
这是因为MA63是一项国际条约，而不是议会立法的法律。正如前一点所述，议会没有修改国际条约的合法权利。
实际上，这意味着沙巴、砂拉越、联邦政府和英国必须坐在一起重新谈判条款才能改变它。
与可以由马来西亚议会修改的联邦宪法不同，MA63和IGC报告永远不能被任何人修改，除非最初签署它的领土决定再次回到谈判桌并重新谈判新的未来- Zainal Ajamain ，沙巴维权活动家兼作家，《马来邮报在线》引述
3. 沙巴和砂拉越有权自行执行MA63
MA63第8条文指出，沙巴和砂拉越可以采取自己的措施来执行和实施MA63，而无需修改联邦宪法。
1963 年马来西亚协议第 8 条（部分）：
马来亚联邦政府、北婆罗洲和砂拉越政府将采取可能需要的立法、行政或其他行动，以实施保证、承诺、建议……只要它们没有通过宪法的明确规定实施。马来西亚
2016年11月，时任首席部长拿督巴丁宜丹斯里阿德南沙登最初在州议会提出收回砂拉越在MA63下的权利的动议，但在最后一刻被搁置。
如果动议获得通过，则可以被视为砂拉越州政府行使MA63第8条规定的权利。相反，州政府选择与联邦政府通过外交途径解决 MA63 下未实现权利的问题。
4. 由于MA63，沙巴和砂拉越拥有额外的决策自主权
沙巴和砂拉越与马来亚一起组建马来西亚，并达成共识，联邦宪法将保障其权利和特权。
这些保障和保障已写入宪法和相关法律。其中一些特权包括：
非沙巴和砂拉越律师没有权利在沙巴和砂拉越法院执业（第161B条）。
根据第161B条文，马来西亚半岛的律师在未向沙巴和砂拉越高等法院申请执照的情况下，不得在沙巴和砂拉越执业。即使他们获得了许可证，他们仍然需要向州移民局申请工作许可证。
沙巴和砂拉越仍然有权在州议会和法庭诉讼中使用英语（第161（1）和（2）条）。
第 161（1）条禁止任何限制沙巴和砂拉越出于官方目的使用英语的权利的法律，直至 1963 年 9 月 16 日起十年后。
截至今日，1963/1967 国家语言法令尚未在砂拉越生效。这意味着国家仍然没有强制要求政府部门和州政府部门使用马来语。
《国家语言法》第 1(2) 条：
本法应在沙巴州和砂拉越州生效，具体日期由各州当局通过各自州立法机关制定的法令指定，并且可以为本法不同条款的生效日期指定不同的日期。这些国家。
5. 砂拉越和沙巴有自己的移民法
砂拉越和沙巴有权监管其州属的移民。事实上，来自半岛的马来西亚人如果想在砂拉越或沙巴工作或学习，就需要获得许可证。那些短期访问砂拉越和沙巴的人必须填写移民表格以获得 90 天的访问通行证。
这项限制载于 1959/1963 年《移民法》第 66 条，并因 MA63 而被纳入其中。
1959/1963 年移民法第 66(1) 条（部分）：
这些限制显然是为了限制那些能够为国家做出积极贡献的人入境，同时禁止任何可能对秩序和安全构成威胁的人进入其边境。
Asklegal
Constitution
5 Facts You Didn't Know About The Malaysia Agreement 1963
over 7 years ago fadzel
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to be used or construed as legal advice in any manner whatsoever. All articles have been scrutinized by a practicing lawyer to ensure accuracy.
[Note: This article was originally written in July 2017]
Shortly after the Federal Government's announcement of tourism tax that's slated to take effect in July, the Sarawak state government made a surprise move by withdrawing its state representative from the Malaysian Tourism Board with immediate effect.
This move is believed to be a result of Sarawak's request for the July implementation to be postponed to a later date, which was denied. But what's interesting is that Sarawak State Minister of Tourism Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that tourism was a matter to be discussed as part of the Malaysia Agreement 1963:
“If they do not want to defer it in Semenanjung, that is up to them. But at least defer it in Sabah and Sarawak ... You have to respect the Malaysia Agreement 1963. And another thing ― the state government must have some say in the matter; maybe the state government wants part of the tax collected to be returned." - Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, as quoted by The Maiay Mail Online.
In even more recent news, current Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg announced he was sending a team of lawyers to London to study details of the Malaysia Agreement:
"This agreement is not simply an agreement; we want to get the facts right because if we want to make a claim, we must do our homework, otherwise we are just shooting at the target without hitting it." - Abang Johari Openg, as quoted by Malaysiakini.
So.... what's the Malaysia Agreement all about?
As a quick refresher on what you read about in school textbooks, the Malaysia as we know it today was initially formed as the Federation of Malaya on 31st August 1957 in accordance with the Federation of Malaya Agreement:
Article 3, Federation of Malaya Independence Agreement (in part):
"As from the thirty-first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven, the Malay States and the Settlements shall be formed into a new Federation of States by the name of ... the Federation of Malaya..."
However, this did not include Sabah and Sarawak. This inclusion actually came about later, when another agreement was signed which led to the merger between Sabah, Sarawak and, briefly, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya to form the present day Federation of Malaysia.
That agreement is the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which set out the terms and conditions in which the three states agreed to merge the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia:
Article 1, Malaysia Agreement 1963
"The Colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak and the State of Singapore shall be federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya as the States of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in accordance with the constitutional instruments annexed to this Agreement and the Federation shall thereafter be called Malaysia."
Aside from being the crux of the debate for greater autonomy for East Malaysia and (now) the tourism tax issue, the MA63 is a pretty fascinating document. For instance, did you know...
1. MA63 is an INTERNATIONAL agreement
Signatories of the Malaysia Agreement arriving in London on July 12, 1963. Image from The Borneo Post.
MA63 is an international agreement, registered in the United Nations on 21 September 1970, bearing the registration number 10760. Being an international agreement, this means the Malaysia Parliament has no authority to amend the terms of MA63.
What the Parliament can do is pass new law to give legal effect to an international treaty. For example, the Parliament passed the Malaysia Act 1963 to give legal effect to MA63. Certain parts of the Federal Constitution have also been amended to incorporate the terms of agreement made between Sabah, Sawak and Malaya during the formation of Malaysia.
The Federal Constitution is said to have been amended over 700 times since 1957, but the terms contained within MA63 have remained unchanged since the day it was signed in 1963, as it is beyond the Parliament's jurisdiction to amend it.
2. Unlike Malaysian laws, MA63 cannot be changed in the Malaysian Parliament
The only way the terms within MA63 can be amended is for all the signatory parties to sit down together as peers and amend it.
This is due to the fact that MA63 is an international treaty, not a piece of law that the Parliament has legislated.As mentioned in the previous point, the Parliament has no legal right to amend an international treaty.
In practice this would mean Sabah, Sarawak, the federal government and the United Kingdom would have to sit together and renegotiate the terms in order to change it.
Unlike the Federal Constitution which can be amended by the Malaysian Parliament, MA63 and IGC Report can never be amended by anyone, unless the territories that originally signed it decided once more to return to the negotiation table and re-negotiate a new future- Zainal Ajamain, Sabahan rights activist & author, as quoted by The Malay Mail Online
3. Sabah and Sarawak have the authority to enforce MA63 on their own
Tan Sri Adenan Satem. Image by Norman Goh from Malaysiakini.
Article 8 of MA63 says that Sabah and Sarawak can take their own measures to enforce and implement MA63, without having to amend the Federal Constitution.
Article 8, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (in part):
The Governments of the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak will take such legislative, executive or other action as may be required to implement the assurances, undertakings, recommendations….in so far as they are not implemented by express provision of the Constitution of Malaysia
In November 2016, then-Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem initially proposed a motion to reclaim Sarawak's rights under MA63 in the state assembly, but this was withheld at the last moment.
If the motion went ahead, it could be seen to be as the Sarawak state government using its right under Article 8 of MA63. Instead the state government opted on a diplomatic approach with the federal government on resolving the issue of unfulfilled rights under MA63.
4. Sabah and Sarawak has extra autonomy to make decisions because of MA63
Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya in forming Malaysia with the understanding that there will be guarantees within the Federal Constitution to protect their rights and privileges.
These guarantees and safeguards have since been inserted into the Constitution and relevant laws. Some of these privileges include:
Non-Sabah and Sarawak lawyers do not have the right to practise in Sabah and Sarawak courts (Article 161B).
As a result of Article 161B, lawyers from Peninsular Malaysia are not allowed to practise in Sabah and Sarawak without applying for a licence from the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak. Even if they have the obtained the licence, they would still have to apply for a work permit from the state Immigration Department.
Sabah and Sarawak still have the right to use English in its state assembly and court proceedings (Article 161(1) and (2)).
Article 161(1) forbids any law that restricting Sabah and Sarawak's right to use English for official purposes until after ten years from 16th September 1963.
As of today the National Language Act 1963/1967 has not yet come into force in Sarawak. This means that it is still not mandatory for the state to use Bahasa Malaysia in government departments and state ministries.
Section 1(2), National Language Act:
This Act shall come into force in the States of Sabah and Sarawak on such dates as the respective State Authorities may by enactments of the Legislatures of the respective States appoint and different dates may be appointed for the coming into force of different provisions of this Act in those States.
5. Sarawak and Sabah has its own immigration law
Immigration counter in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Image from FamousChris.
Sarawak and Sabah has the power to regulate immigration to their states. In fact, Malaysians from the Peninsula require a permit if they want to work or study in Sarawak or Sabah. Those who are on a short visit to Sarawak and Sabah will have to fill an immigration form for a 90-day visit pass.
This restriction is laid in in Section 66 of the Immigration Act 1959/1963, and was included because of MA63.
Section 66(1), Immigration Act 1959/1963 (in part):
"... a citizen shall not be entitled to enter an East Malaysian State without having obtained a Permit or Pass in that behalf unless—
(a) he belongs to the East Malaysian State..."
These restrictions are apparently implemented to limit entry to those who can positively contribute to (either) state, while keeping their borders off-limits anyone who may pose a threat to order and security.
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