KUCHING: The Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s recent reference to Sarawak as a ‘wilayah’ (region) instead of ‘negeri’ (state) marked a significant step towards the state’s objective of achieving its constitutional status as one of the three regions of Malaysia as stated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
In taking note of this, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said it signified the state’s journey towards settling with the federal government various long-pending issues related to MA63.
“To proceed with our mission, to strive towards our goal, we need Sarawakians to be united and well-prepared. We should not forget our Sarawak roots,” he said in a statement issued today (April 3).
He explained that Sarawak is not greedy while claiming its rights and interests to which it is entitled under MA63.
“Sarawak is glad that the prime minister has assured that the claims would be considered fairly and equitably by the Federal Constitution and the spirit of MA63,” he said.
He then noted that to amend the Federal Constitution, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government would not be successful without the majority support of the members of Parliament.
“Therefore, we urge all parties to make known their positions, to state their stands clearly, including the issues of ‘Sarawak is not a state; it is a ‘wilayah’ (region)’, and Article 160 of the Federal Constitution that interprets the word ‘federation’ should be in line with the MA63 which does not mean the federation established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.
“SUPP officially suggests that if the proposed amendment to Article 160 can’t be made before the next general election, all parties that decide to be in the race should declare their stand clearly in their election manifestos, to confirm whether they agree or disagree with a proposal of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to review the MA63 and amend the article,” he said.
As for those who intend to contest in Sarawak, Dr Sim also said the parties, as well as individual candidates, should pledge to atone for any breach of trust later.
“To Sarawak especially, such election pledges is important as too many promises had not been kept by political parties and their candidates in recent years.
“Pakatan Harapan is infamous for having talked big and shouted loud about constitutional rights and resources of Sarawakians in their election campaigns, yet they neglected Sarawak when they were the federal government,” he said.
“It’s very true that we want to preserve and maintain our political autonomy to look after ourselves as we know what we need and what is best for Sarawak.
