By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, May 13: The Sarawak government will table a motion to reprint 10,000 copies of the State Constitution of Sarawak in the upcoming Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting.
DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar said the motion presented under Standing Order 23(1)(a) and read together with Article 42 of the State Constitution, will be tabled by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas on May 17, and will be seconded by Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
When asked about the necessity of tabling the motion, he explained that the reprinting process must have the consent of the Dewan.
“You have to have the consent of the Dewan. It’s in our Constitution and it’s the highest document of the State,” he said during a press conference after attending a Sarawak DUN pre-council meeting held at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here today.
Responding to a reporter’s query whether the private businesses or enterprises can carry out the printing, Asfia replied in negative.
“This reprinting includes all the latest amendments. If you allow it freely (printing by private entity), then you will have a reprint of the Constitution without the latest amendments.
“Every single letter (and) every dot must be correct. Thus, you need to have the approval of the Dewan to reprint with all the latest amendments,” he explained.
He also referred to Article 42 of the State Constitution which states that the DUN may, from time to time, by resolution, authorise the State, the Government Printer, to print copies of this Constitution including all amendments in force at the time of such authorisation and any such copy so printed shall be deem for the purpose to be the true and correct copy.
Also present during the press conference were Deputy Speaker Datuk Idris Buang who is also Muara Tuang assemblyman, and DUN secretary Pele Peter Tinggom. – DayakDaily
