KUCHING, Dec 16: Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo says that the amendment to Article 1(2) that was just passed in Parliament where Sarawak and Sabah have become ‘Negeri-Negeri Borneo’ does nothing for the Borneo component nations of the Federation except to equate them with the 11 Negeri-Negeri Tanah Melayu.
“This affirms the composition of the Federation of Malaysia as 13 component states — eleven in Malaya and two in Borneo.
“By this amendment, it is a fallacy and fool’s gold that Sarawak has achieved ‘equal partner’ status,” she said in a statement today.
Soo explained that the Federation of Malaysia comprises three nations, namely the 11 states of Malaya as one nation, with Sabah and Sarawak as the other two nations.
“Therefore, the amendment should read, ‘Negara-Negara Borneo iaitu Sabah dan Sarawak’, not ‘Negeri-Negeri Sabah dan Sarawak’.
“Further proof of Borneo Nation status is provided in the Constitution of the State of Sabah (Annex B of the Malaysia Agreement) where the Head of State for Sabah is called the ‘Yang di-Pertua Negara’.
“In all citations regarding the Head of State of Sabah, the term Yang di-Pertua Negara is used. Unfortunately, in 1976, the Sabah Legislative Assembly downgraded the constitutional status of Yang di-Pertua Negara to Yang di-Pertua Negri,” she said. — DayakDaily
