More tweaks in the offing if Article 1(2) bill passed, says PM

PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya will introduce more amendments to the Federal Constitution on the status of Sabah and Sarawak in future, pledged Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.

This can be done after the bill to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution is passed in the current Dewan Rakyat sitting, and pending the decisions of the special cabinet committee on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), he said.

"After the proposed amendment to Article 1(2) is agreed to (by Parliament), other appropriate amendments will follow suit (pending) the outcome of the ongoing negotiation," he said.

Mahathir was speaking at the tabling of the Federal Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2019 at the policy stage.

A number of opposition coalitions, namely BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Bersatu Sabah (GBS) demanded that the bill is referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee when it was tabled for first reading last Thursday.

In his speech today, Mahathir said the government will amend the bill at the committee stage to bring it in line with the MA63.

The latest amendment would restore the wording of "the states of Malaya" and “the Borneo states” in Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, according to him.

In his speech, Mahathir explained why the wording "Borneo states" was taken out when the bill was tabled last Thursday.

"(This was) to avoid assumption that Sabah and Sarawak were the provinces of Indonesia," he said. 

Mahathir also said the previous administration had failed to introduce necessary amendments to the Federal Constitution in Parliament.

"As such, this is the starting point and right time for the government to take the first step to realise what Sabahans and Sarawakians wanted," he added.

Mahathir also shot down the calls to amend Article 160 of the Federal Constitution by inserting a definition for "the federation".

"I would like to stress that Malaysia should be seen as an entity without segregation between East Malaysia and West Malaysia and with the wealth and profit obtained by the country being distributed to all states fairly according to needs.

"The unity of the country should be the main agenda in the formation of Malaysia," he said.

Denying the constitutional amendment was done in haste, he said it was a noble effort by the government to reform the law to meet the aspirations of the people.

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