KUCHING: Amending Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution would not guarantee that Sarawak and Sabah would automatically become Malaya’s equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia.
While the amendment is definitely necessary and important, Santubong MP Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar argued that the content of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) must also be re-negotiated until some acceptable result is achieved.
“The amendment will restore the format in Article 1(2) before the 1976 amendment which was made after Singapore left the federation,” he explained while officiating at the handover of a new Maternity and Children Health Clinic (KKIK) building at Kampung Bintawa yesterday.
He said for Sarawak and Sabah to regain their proper statuses, there was a need to review MA63’s four important documents — the Cobbold Commission Report, Inter-Governmental Committee Report, Malaysia Act 1963 and Federal Constitution of Malaysia.
“To get the federal government to grant equal status to us, we have to renegotiate the whole of MA63, make a new law and redraft a new constitution,” he said.
Regarding an announcement made by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong, yesterday, Wan Junaidi said it was misleading and could cause confusion.
“Don’t get confused and don’t get misled by one big statement that amending one section of the constitution can make us an equal partner of Malaya.
“If you amend one section, you won’t make Sabah and Sarawak equal partners of Malaya. Whether Liew was confused or whether he meant to confuse people, his statement was not precise. He did not use the right words,” he said.
