KUCHING, Negotiations between Sarawak and the federal government to amend the Federal Constitution to move tourism from the federal list to the concurrent list in the Ninth Schedule are ongoing, said State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He said the negotiations are important to assert Sarawak’s rights as stipulated under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to include tourism matters.

‘My ministry will continue to actively pursue the proposal to amend Item 25A of the Federal Constitution.

‘We will work together with the Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali and the State Attorney-General Chambers to ensure that Sarawak gains special rights and position regarding tourism matters as agreed under MA63,’ he said.

Abdul Karim said this when winding up the debate on behalf of the ministry at the State Assembly sitting here today.

On Ma
y 9, Sarawak Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew said the state government was actively pursuing the matter with the federal government to remove ‘tourism’ from Item 25A (Tourism) in List I (Federal List) to List III (Concurrent List) of the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

According to Ting, originally ‘tourism’ was not in any of the legislative lists in the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

However, in 1994, the word ‘tourism’ was inserted into the Federal List of the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution by Act A885 and came into force on June 26, 1994.

Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said for 2024, the ministry is targeting to receive four million tourist arrivals, bringing in an estimated RM10.19 billion in tourism revenue.

‘From January to April this year, Sarawak recorded 1.62 million tourist arrivals, generating an estimated RM4.17 billion in tourism receipts,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency