Tiong tells Chong to put Sarawak’s interest above political mileage
KUCHING: Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing chides Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen for accusing Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg of finding excuses to oppose the Bill to amend Article 1( 2) of the Federal Constitution.
Tiong said in a statement yesterday, Chong was either ignorant of what Abang Johari and Gabungan Parti Sarawak ( GPS) MPs agreed upon when they pursued the amendment of the Act or was just trying to score political points when he made the accusation.
“As a lawyer he should know that it would be meaningless to amend Article 1( 2) without amending Article 160 of the Federal Constitution.
“Without the amendment of Article 160 ( 2) Sarawak would entrench its status of a state within Malaysia as the Bill tabled by PH government merely separates Sarawak and Sabah from the states of Peninsular Malaysia without defining their status as two of the three separate sovereign territories which agreed to form Malaysia in 1963.”
Tiong cautioned that Sarawak would be negotiating further devolution of power and reclaiming its rights from a position as a state within Malaysia instead of a founding region of the nation if the Act to amend Article 1 (20) was passed without the redefinition of ‘ the Federation’ through the amendment of Article 160 (20).
“This would seriously weaken our bargaining power and jeopardise our quest to regain our rights.”
Tiong, who is also the president of Progressive Democratic Party ( PDP), also called on Chong to stop harping on the fault of the MPs who supported the passing of Article 1(2) in 1976.
“Chong should not try to score political mileage by pointing fingers at the MPs who supported the Act in 1976 but instead put the interest of Sarawak above partisan politics in making sure Sarawak would not fall deeper into the trap of being a ‘state’ in Malaysia.”
Tiong added that it is now the collective responsibility of all Sarawak MPs regardless of their political affiliation to fight for the restoration of Sarawak’s rights.