KUCHING, Feb 15: State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar dismissed a notice of the proposed amendment to the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen.
Chong brought up the notice before the second reading of the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
Chong proposed that pursuant to Standing Order 50 (4) and 54, a notice is given to propose an amendment to the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the following manner: Clause 2 of the Bill be amended by inserting immediately after the word “Vaie” in a new line, the words “Chinese, Indian or any race not stated herein and the person of which race is born in Sarawak and whose natural parents or either one of the natural parents is also born in Sarawak”.
Asfia, who did not permit Chong to elaborate, gave his ruling before dismissing the notice.
“The notice specifically stated ‘Chinese, Indian’. Standing Order 50(4) reads: That in order to add words stating the object and motive on which the opposition to the Bill is based, but such words must be strictly relevant to the principles of the Bill and not deal with its details”.
“The principles of the Bill are explicitly stated in the explanatory statement on the Bill which reads, and I quote, ‘Additional races considered to be indigenous to Sarawak and to include a person who is a citizen and is a natural child of a parent of a race indigenous to Sarawak and satisfies the conditions and requirements imposed by Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri for recognition of such person as a native of Sarawak’.
“The principles are to include additional native races to the list of indigenous races in Sarawak. The notice, therefore, violates these principles by adding races that are not native and non-indigenous to Sarawak. The notice is therefore dismissed.
“Standing Order 54, therefore, does not arise. The Honourable Member can raise the issue in the cause of the debate on the Bill during the second reading
“The notice, therefore, shall not be debated and/or there shall be no amendment or debate at the committee stage.” — DayakDaily
