The people of Sabah must stay united despite differences in political beliefs, religion and ethnicity so that the state government can ensure the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said the state government has had discussions with the federal government to get its rights back as stipulated in MA63.

“I’m sure that this will take some time, as it involves technical and legal issues, which require coordination between the federal and state government.

“This includes the demand to increase Sabah's oil and gas royalty, and efforts to allow more involvement of the state in matters pertaining to education and health, which are now under federal jurisdiction,” he said at the swearing-in ceremony of Juhar Mahiruddin as Sabah governor today.

This is Juhar’s third term as the governor. He was first appointed to the post to replace Ahmadshah Abdullah on Jan 1, 2011, and was reappointed for the second term on Jan 1, 2015.

The Sabah Legislative Assembly recently passed a bill to remove the two-term limit for the post of governor.

Entering 2019, Shafie said he anticipated a brighter year for Sabah to make changes that had been long-awaited by the people.

“The state government is committed to making changes and we will continue doing so for the benefit of New Sabah and New Malaysia,” he said.