KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Assembly sitting here saw Assaffal Alian (Warisan-Tungku) retracted his remarks made on Ambalat Block in the Sulawesi Sea to Indonesia in the previous sitting.
State speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya said he had received a complaint referring to the matter and sought Assaffal's explanation.
"I am of the opinion that this action was taken without the intention to mislead the council, however, this statement has been recorded and included in the official statement on Aug 10, 2023.
"Therefore, Yang Berhormat should rectify this statement by retracting it, and it should be recorded in today's official statement," he said in his opening speech.
In response, Assaffal said: "I acknowledge that my advice and warnings on Aug 10, 2023, during the biodiversity bill debate, have caused confusion due to the lack of supporting facts for the advice and endorsement.
"I sincerely regret the confusion. I hereby retract my advice and warnings, and I apologise for any confusion, inconvenience, and discomfort caused by those statements.
"I also assure that this matter will not recur in the future."
Meanwhile, during the question-and-answer session, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state government will ensure that the national borders, particularly those of Sabah, are always preserved and not challenged. That concludes.
"Malaysia and Indonesia are committed to resolving land and maritime boundary issues comprehensively, and to date, no agreements have been made through bilateral meetings related to Pulau Sebatik and the Sulawesi Sea.
"The State Government has actively participated in these bilateral meetings, led by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, to ensure that any negotiations or proposals involving the borders of Sabah, Malaysia, and Indonesia are presented and referred to the Sabah Cabinet for the basis of discussions, direction, and decisions."
Hajiji was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) regarding negotiations with Indonesia concerning Pulau Sebatik under the Sulawesi Sea Agreement.
He explained that the border of Sabah on Pulau Sebatik is along the longitudinal line of 4°10', starting from the East Pillar to the Low Water Line on the east side of Pulau Sebatik.
"The Maritime Border, signed through the Sulawesi Sea Treaty, involving only 12 nautical miles, does not impose any loss on the state of Sabah.
"Negotiations for establishing maritime boundaries for areas exceeding 12 nautical miles up to 200 nautical miles in the Sulawesi Sea (in areas ND6 and ND7), constituting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), have not yet commenced.
"The border involving Pulau Sebatik, specifically the 'Intertidal' area, is still under negotiation."
Hajiji said there was also no progress during the latest negotiation session through the Special Technical Meeting (STM) held on Nov 16 and 17, 2023, in Tangerang, Indonesia.