Chief Minister’s full press statement on Article 1(2) Amendment

Chief Minister’s full press statement on Article 1(2) Amendment

1. As you all had already been aware, the Federal Government had on the 4^th April 2019, table a proposed amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution.

2. The proposed amendment seeks to return Article 1(2) to its original pre-1976 wordings. The Federal Minister for Law was quoted in the newspapers and other social media as saying that Putrajaya’s intention to amend Article 1(2) had already received the approval of Sabah and Sarawak Chief Ministers during the meeting by Cabinet Committee for Malaysia Agreement 1963.

3. Let me once state that although we approved the intention to amend Article 1(2) in the principle, no approval was given in respect of the amendment in its current form. This was because, the Committee never discussed the actual contents and wordings of the amendment.

4. I have highlighted at the first Steering Committee meeting that our discussions and decisions should be within the parameters of the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963. Furthermore, any decision particularly on an issue as important as this would require me to obtain the mandate of the Consultative Committee established by the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.

5. I also wish to make the following clarifications:

i. My stand had always been consistent. And this is that we                                    support any amendment to the Federal Constitution or                                        any law that seeks to restore the rights of Sarawak as                                            intended by the Parties to the Malaysia Agreement.                                               However, these amendments must be substantive nature                                  and not merely in form.

ii. When the proposal to amend Article 1(2) was raised by                                        the Sabah Chief Minister during the 1^st Steering                                                       Committee Meeting on MA63. It was Sarawak’s stand to                                      support this amendment in principle. When this proposal                                    was subsequently brought to the 1^st Technical                                                            Committee Meeting on 14^th January 2019, the                                                          representatives from Sarawak was instructed by me to                                        submit a written view.

iii. The view was that we support the amendment to Article                                    1(2) provided it comes with an amendment to Article                                            160(2) on the definition of “the Federation”. The reason                                        for this was that we felt that an amendment on Article                                         1(2) alone, do not fully address the aspirations of the                                              people of Sarawak. By amending Article 160(2), a                                                      reference to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 should be                                           made in the Federal Constitution. The Federal                                                             Constitution in its current form makes no reference to the                                Malaysia Agreement

iv. The 1^st Technical Committee Meeting then decided that                                      no piecemeal amendments will be made to the Federal                                          Constitution. Indeed it was agreed that a holistic                                                      amendment would be made at the completion of the                                             process for the review of the implementation of MA63. The                               target is for these amendments to be tabled during the                                         third sitting of Parliament scheduled in October 2019.

v. This matter was not discussed further at the subsequent                                    Steering Committee Meeting. However, we were then                                          informed of the decision to amend Article 1(2) at this                                           coming parliamentary sitting. We then communicated our                                 views to the Federal Government. The State Government’s                               view was that a singular amendment to Article 1(2) would                                 not achieve its purpose unless accompanied by other                                            substantive amendments, amongst others, an amendment to                           Article 160(2).

vi. We were also of the view that this amendment would be                                     more appropriate if tabled after important substantive                                         decisions had been made on the issues deliberated by MA63                             Committees.

Conclusion

I hope that with this clarification, no devious allegations would be made against the State Government as being not supportive of the amendment. The State Government reiterates its support to any amendment of laws which would genuinely bring about substantive benefits to the State and its people. To support an amendment which does not bring actual benefits would be tantamount to committing a fraud on the people of Sarawak.