During a meeting with the King on Thursday, Anwar said Sultan Abdullah expressed deep admiration and emotion over the affection shown by the people of Sabah and Sarawak towards him and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

“Of course, as the prime minister, I must shoulder the weight of that tour. His Majesty gave all the letters to me,” he said while revealing a thick binder at the Malaysia Day celebration at Stadium Perpaduan in Kuching tonight.

“And I want to assure you, Insya-Allah, that I will instruct the government machinery to thoroughly examine each letter, and we will try to resolve them (the issues raised in the letters) to the best of our abilities.”

He said challenging issues would be referred to Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor and Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg for further action.

The King and Queen had embarked on their Borneo tour from Sept 3 to 13, commencing from Tawau, Sabah, and concluding in Telok Melano, Sarawak.

Their journey mostly took place via the Pan Borneo Highway, which connects Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. The tour had been an opportunity for the people of both states to meet the royal couple and their entourage.

In his speech, Anwar also said it was his responsibility as a next-generation leader to fulfil the promises and agreements made by the leaders who formed Malaysia, including in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

“Almost all of the Cabinet ministers are here, and they know our stance. (MA63) is not up for negotiation, but rather for implementation,” he said.

He said he did not want the people of Sabah and Sarawak to feel marginalised.

“We (the government) are the new generation. We want to implement and uphold what our forefathers agreed upon. It is our responsibility as a great and renowned Malaysian nation,” he said.