By Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 20: The Sarawak government has proposed to the federal government to move ‘tourism’ from the Federal List to the Concurrent List.
Deputy Minister of Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali emphasised that this is one of the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution provisions submitted to the federal government.
“The Sarawak government has proposed the amendments to the Legislative List in the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, specifically to remove ‘tourism’ from Item 25A in List I (Federal List), to be listed as one of the items in List III (Common List).
“These are some of the efforts we have made, and we pray that it will be resolved, but it will take some time for them to be implemented,” she informed the august House in responding to a question from Dato Ibrahim Baki (PBB-Satok) on the fourth day of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
Sharifah Hasidah added that among the matters that have been resolved through the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Special Council Committee Meeting include the Commercial Settlement Agreement (CSA) between the Sarawak government and Petronas, recognising Sarawak’s rights to impose Sales Tax on petroleum products and managing gas distribution, as well as amendments to Article 1(2), 160(20) and 161A (6) and (7) of Federal Constitution effective from Feb 11, 2022.
Among the demands and claims from the Sarawak government still under negotiation, she said, include judiciary administration issues in Sabah and Sarawak; proposal for Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak, Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sarawak and Rural Water Development Department (JBALB) as Technical Department under Treasury Instructions 182; proposal to increase the number of Dewan Rakyat members from Sabah and Sarawak in Parliament; proposal for Sarawak representative(s) in Inland Revenue Board (IRB) as well as the discussion on the formula for Special Grant under Article 112D. — DayakDaily
