KUALA LUMPUR, April 8: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will table a motion tomorrow (April 9) to propose either a withdrawal or to refer the Bill to amend Article 1(2) of Federal Constitution to a special committee.
GPS’ Petra Jaya MP Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the Sarawak government was giving the federal government advance notice by informing the latter that the motion would be tabled by Santubong MP Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar before the tabling of the amendment Bill for second reading.
“Wan Junaidi will raise a point under Standing Order 54 because there are so many things involved in the amendment that are needed to go through into detail. Amending Article 1(2) alone is not sufficient to put everyone in equal position,” he said when met at Parliament today.
Fadillah added that this was why GPS thought it is best to delay it or wait till the steering committee and technical committee concluded negotiations on Sabah and Sarawak’s requests, especially in terms of all the rights spelt out under the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Apart from that, he said they must also consider the IGC report that had either eroded or not being implemented under the provisions of the Federal Constitution and the MA63.
“Amending a constitution is not a small matter. It has to be seriously looked into, consider and implement carefully. This is what we want to look at. Once the steering committee has agreed to what Sabah and Sarawak wants, then we do the amendment of the Bill in full package,” Fadillah suggested.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad chaired the first meeting of MA63 steering committee on Dec 17 last year on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak to autonomy in matters ranging from finance, oil exploration, mining and gas, legislation, land and revenue from land, federal and state works, maritime and estuarine fishing and fisheries, labour and state public service.
Sarawakians and Sabahans had lamented the gradual erosion of rights and privileges of the two territories in Borneo, which were initially treated as equal partners under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 along with Malaya and Singapore in the formation of Malaysia. — DayakDaily
