KUCHING, Nov 10: Sarawak Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar has deferred the proposed amendment to Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill 2020.
The amendment Bill, which was tabled by Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah during today’s session seeks to amend the interpretation of ‘resident’ in Article 16 of the Sarawak Constitution.
“There is an abnormality in the drafting of the bill and obviously different issues have to be addressed. This bill refers to Section 71 of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and further refer to Sec 66 of the same Act.
“In view of this abnormality; clarification and definition to be made, I hereby defer this bill. It stands deferred to a date to be fixed,” Asfia announced, adding that the Bill is not being withdrawn.
Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen had earlier debated the proposed amendment on the interpretation of ‘resident’ in Article 16 of the Sarawak Constitution.
He argued that it would allow non-Sarawakians to be elected members of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) and that Clause 2(1)(c) says ‘resident in the state’, meaning a citizen belonging to the state of Sarawak in accordance to Section 71 of the Immigration Act 1959/63. — DayakDaily
