By Nigel Edgar
KOTA SAMARAHAN, April 20: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) did not mention the need to amend Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution during the tabling of the bill to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution recently.
State Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Chong Chieng Jen said according to a show-cause letter from GPS, it did not mention the need to amend Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution to redefine the term ‘Federation’.
He said during the first tabling of the bill, GPS MPs demanded that Article 160(2) should also be amended.
However, Chong said the show-cause letter, explaining why they abstained from voting for the bill, only mentioned `refreshment’ on the proposed amendment to Article 1(2) if the PH government wanted support for the amendment.
He revealed this to reporters after handing over water tanks to villagers in Kampung Kuap here today.
Chong said this showed that the GPS government knew there was no need to amend Article 160(2), and it was just a political game to confuse the people.
Meanwhile, Chong also criticised state legal advisor Datuk JC Fong who made a statement recently on the state’s rights.
He questioned why Fong only mentioned it now and not during Barisan Nasional (BN)’s reign.
Chong also wondered why Fong, being the state Attorney General between 1992 to 2007, he did not advise the state government then to defend the state’s rights then, particularly in Native Customary Rights (NCR) land matters. — DayakDaily
