Fine tune the wordings, say S’wak leaders
KUCHING: The restoration of Sarawak’s rights and status as an equal partner in Malaysia must continue even though Pakatan Harapan’s bid to amend the Federal Constitution was not passed by Parliament, say Sarawak leaders.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing said the failure to obtain a two-thirds majority for the amendment to Article 1(2) was an eye-opener for Putrajaya not to take Sarawak and Sabah for granted.
“Now Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya can start afresh in building a truly federated Malaysia where the three regions are of equal status in an honourable fashion and where sincerity is at the heart of administrating this nation.
Masing claimed that Putrajaya lacked sincerity in tabling the amendment as it did not provide for equal distribution of wealth between Sarawak, Sabah and the peninsula, among others.
“We were not one of the 13 states when the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) was signed. We are the biggest contributor to the national revenue. Why should we share with Malaya after they ‘stole’ our wealth to develop Malaya and left us behind.
“We want to be on par in infrastructure development before we share our wealth with Malayan states,” he said.
Sarawak Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Datuk Gerawat Gala said discussions on MA63 should still continue as there were many issues yet to be resolved.
“The amendment is merely cosmetic. There are a lot more important things which need to be sorted out,” he said.
These include amending the definition of “federation” in Article 160, which Gerawat described as “fundamental”.
“In Article 160, the definition of federation refers to the Federation of Malaya Agreement, which excludes Sabah and Sarawak,” he pointed out.
Batang Lupar MP Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) lawmakers had abstained from voting as they felt that the proposed amendment did not clearly state Sarawak and Sabah’s rights and interests as an equal partner.
She said the words “pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963” should be included in the amendment to guarantee that Sabah and Sarawak would not lose their rights.
“We feel the amendment must be fine-tuned and not simply state that Sabah and Sarawak are ‘equal partners’ in Malaysia.
“Various details in relations to the Agreement must be studied thoroughly,” she said.