KUCHING, Oct 13: Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew believes that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar is making the right move in his proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution.
Lau was referring to a briefing by Wan Junaidi on the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution to all Pakatan Harapan (PH) Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday (Oct 12).
Lau in a press statement today said those amendments will complete and add substance to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
Lau noted the key amendment concerned were Article 1(2) and Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution while the proposed amendments are different to the one proposed by the PH government in 2018.
Lau, who is also Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Bawang Assan branch chairman, said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) MPs had abstained from voting then because the 2018 amendment was “not meaningful without redefining the meaning of federation”.
“The key difference is in the additional proposed amendment, by redefining ‘federation’ in Article 160(2).
“This was missing in the previous proposed amendment despite at the urging of GPS MPs when they were asked to support the amendment in 2018.
“The proposed new definition on federation is:
The Federation that was first established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 and further pursuant to an Agreement concluded on 9th day of July 1963 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore, the Federation is called Malaysia with Colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak and the State of Singapore federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya as the States of Sabah, Sarawak and a Singapore in accordance with the constitutional instruments annexed thereto but under and by virtue of the Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign State dated 7th August 1965, Singapore has ceased to be a State of Malaysia.
“The other amendment is to add a new definition ‘Malaysia Day’ as at 16th September 1963 in Article 160(2). Currently only Hari Merdeka is defined.
“These amendments will complete and add substance to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. It corrects a big anomaly in the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Lau added Wan Junaidi hoped to have the support from all MPs when the Bill to amend those articles in the Federal Constitution is tabled in Parliament at the next sitting which is scheduled from Oct 25 to Dec 16. — DayakDaily
