Page:Report of The Inter-Governmental Committee, Malaysia.pdf/3



A Commission under the chairmanship of Lord Cobbold visited North Borneo and Sarawak between February and April, 1962 and its Report was published as CMND 1794 on the 1st August 1962. The Commission was unanimously agreed that a Federation of Malaysia is in the best interests of North Borneo and Sarawak and that an early decision in principle should be reached.

2. The Report was considered in detail in a series of meetings in London in July 1962 by British and Malayan Ministers. In the light of the Report of the agreement reached between the Government of Malaya and the Government of Singapore, the British and Malayan Governments decided principle that, subject to the necessary legislation, the proposed Federation of Malaysia should be brought into being by the 31st August 1963. A copy of the Joint Public Statement is at Annex C.

3. The two Governments decided to establish an Inter-Governmental Committee, on which the British Malayan, North Borneo and Sarawak Governments would be represented. Its task was to work out the future constitutional arrangements, including safeguards for the special interests of North Borneo and Sarawak to cover such matters as religious freedom, education, representation in the Federal Parliament the position of the indigenous races, control of immigration, citizenship and the State Constitutions.

4. The Minister of State for Colonial Affairs, Lord Lansdowne, the Chairman of the Committee, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, visited North Borneo and Sarawak in August 1962 and a Preparatory Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee was held in Jesselton on the 30th August, 1962.

5. At this Prepatory Meeting it was decided to set up five Sub-Committees:――

The Constitutional Sub-Committee The Fiscal Sub-Committee The Legal and Judicial Sub-Committee The Public Service Sub-Committee The Departmental Organisation Sub-Committee

6. On the 12th September 1962, the following motion was unanimously adopted by the Legislative Council of North Borneo:――

"Be it resolved that this Council do welcome the decision in principle of the British and Malayan Governments to establish Malaysia by the 31st August 1963, provided that the term of participation and the constitutional arrangements will safeguard the special interests of North Borneo and do accordingly authorise the following Members of this Council to represent North Borneo on the proposed Inter-Governmental Committee to prepare detailed constitutional arrangements which will be laid before this Council:――

The Honourable the Chief Scretary The Honourable The Attoney-General The Honourable the Financial Scretary The Honourable O.K.K Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun, O.B.E The Honourable Khoo Siak Chiew The Honourable D.A. Stephens"