A golden chance missed, says CM
KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal yesterday expressed his disappointment over the failure to amend the Constitution as the people of Sabah had been waiting for it for a long time.
He said Sabah and Sarawak missed a golden chance to restore their status as equal partners with the peninsula after the bill to amend the constitution was defeated in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He said the proposed amendment was the first step towards getting other constitutional amendments including the rights owed to both states following the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Shafie said efforts had been made to restore the original wording in the bill to match the pre-1976 amendment.
“Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad read it, and he said it was back to its old form which was signed by our forefathers in 1963,” he said.
“You can imagine, in particular, fundamental things that we cannot agree on and vote for it, what more other things that we can realise.
“It's already 55 years, we have waited for such a long time...we are not saying that we should be in a hurry but, for God's sake, this is 55 years, this is a fundamental thing,” he said.
Shafie, however, said the failure to secure two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat for the Constitutional Amendment Bill to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with the Federation of Malaya as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is not the end of the road.
He said he felt saddened because when the opportunity finally arrived it was not taken.
“This was not a small feat for us... much has been said by many leaders. Only this time, our voice is heard and the matter was tabled in Parliament.
“But, unfortunately, it cannot succeed because to amend the Constitution, you need a two-thirds majority,” he said.
Out of 222 seats out of the Dewan Rakyat, only 139 voted for it, which is short of the required 148 votes.
Shafie stated that they have done their level best and that he has spent his time mingling after the deliberation at Parliament to explain that what they wanted was to reinstate what was agreed by the forefathers in the creation of Malaysia in 1963.
“We will continue our effort to ensure that we can realise the desire of fellow Sabahans here...make sure what are the rights of Sabah, including the 40 percent tax collected by the Federal and royalty for oil,” he told a press conference held at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) shortly after arriving on the 11.45 am flight from Kuala Lumpur.
Shafie said they were aiming for the amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, which would restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak.
“This is the first step after 55 years, it is only to legitimize and spell out what was stated in 1963 and put it back in the Constitution,” he said, adding that it does not mean that that was enough and stressed that the struggle will continue on after that.
“If there is need to amend the Constitution, by all means, we are there supporting. But this was a stepping stone, the first step for us for our way forward to voice out our rights,” he said.
“Tapi datang ke parlimen kita tak bagi pulak (but when it arrived at Parliament, we did not allow it to proceed),” he lamented.
He stressed that cooperation was needed to change the Constitution and it needed all parties to come together, Sabah, Sarawak and the Federation of Malaya.
“This would have been the time for us to realise it,” he added.
When asked if Sabah would talk to Sarawak on the matter, Shafie replied: “Of course.”
“Engagement has already been done at the PM's (Prime Minister's) Office. We had discussions there before.
“I was made to understand that opinions had been gathered, even to the extent of the last minutes on what were the concerns of the Sarawakian delegation,” he said.
Shafie was also asked if he felt that Sarawak government, being the opposition, was merely ‘playing politics'.
He replied that he won't say this was the case.
“I don't want to accuse my counterpart. We are working with them. I will reach out to them to see how to make sure it can be done. I do hope to get into another chance to table it in Parliament,” he said.
As for Parliament members from Sabah, Shafie also refrained from accusing anyone, and told reporters that he was not keen on making speculations. Nevertheless, he added, this was for the interest of the state.
He also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and mentioned that the latter was very knowledgeable about the issue.