KUALA LUMPUR: The Communications Ministry is considering a study to assess public understanding of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and awareness of Sabah and Sarawak's rights, as part of efforts to strengthen understanding of Malaysia's formation.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the ministry acknowledged that knowing about the agreement and understanding and recognising the rights it guaranteed were two different things.
She said the ministry would consider the proposal after Isnaraissah Munirah Majlis (Warisan-Kota Belud) raised the matter in the Dewan Rakyat.
"At present, the ministry, through Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and the Information Department, has not conducted a study to measure public understanding of MA63 and the formation of Malaysia.
"I will bring the proposal from the Kota Belud MP back for discussion with the ministry and the Information Department to determine whether the study can be conducted," she said.
Isnaraissah had called for a baseline study to assess how well Malaysians, particularly those in Peninsular Malaysia, understood Sabah and Sarawak's rights under MA63.
She said the study would help the government identify more effective ways to raise public awareness of the agreement.
Public understanding remained important, she said, as some Malaysians continued to misunderstand Sabah and Sarawak's demands for their rights, with such claims sometimes portrayed as threats to national interests.
"Some have even gone to the extreme of accusing us of wanting to leave Malaysia.
"The findings are important to ensure that Malaysians not only know about MA63 but also understand and acknowledge the rights of Sabah and Sarawak, as promised to us before we agreed to form the Federation of Malaysia."
In response, Teo cited the Information Department's digital outreach efforts, which included 115 social media posts, 21 of which featured creative content related to Malaysia's formation and the implementation of MA63.
The content had recorded 119,708 views, 13,660 likes and 17,203 shares as of Sept 22, she said.
However, she acknowledged that these figures did not constitute a study measuring public understanding of the agreement.
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