KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the failure of the proposed Federal Constitution Amendment Bill to be passed last week is not the end of story or end of the line.
He expressed trust in the sincerity of the federal government that it would table the Bill again with the amendments that Sarawak had sought for.
“We have waited for so many decades for this Bill. Surely we can wait three more months until the next Parliament sitting for a revised Bill to be tabled.
“If we want to fix this, let’s do it right the first time and eliminate all the loopholes and grey areas before we pass the final Bill in July,” he added in a press statement yesterday.
According to Fadillah, GPS would meet with all relevant stake-holders including legal advisors starting this week.
No one should question that GPS’ love for, he said adding, “That’s why we stood firm even though we knew there would be certain political backlash.”
Fadillah admitted many were disappointed that the Bill to restore the original wordings of Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution did not pass last week, while several had started pointing figures and finding fault due to this disappointment.
“However, when it comes to restoring Sabah and Sarawak’s rights and protecting our joint interests to its fullest, there shall be no compromise.
“When it comes to Sabah and Sarawak’s rights, (de facto Law Minister) VK Liew is not our enemy, Chong is not our enemy and Baru Bian is not our enemy,” he stressed.
He asserted that no one was more passionate about this than those in GPS, adding: “We are well aware that we will face a big political backlash from those who may not understand the issue or do not understand our passion and resolve for Sarawak rights.”
Fadillah admitted that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg had given his agreement in principle.
But, he said the keyword was “principle. The devil is in the details”.
He pointed out that GPS MPs felt that the original wordings of MA63 and the draft Bill could be further improved and strengthened.
He said the GPS-led state government was not asking for more than the state was entitled to in the MA63 but merely to strengthen and resolve any possible loopholes in order to better protect the state and its people’s interests.
“The Federal Constitution was drafted more than half a century ago. Things have changed since then and you cannot expect it to be a perfect document without loopholes.
“From experience over the years, we have encountered many grey areas and loopholes such as found in Article 161A(7). The list of races which are indigenous to Sarawak does not include Ibans, Bidayuhs or even Lun Bawang.
“Even the definition of “Malaysia Day” is missing in the Constitution’s current form.
“That is why we seek to amend the draft Bill to account for these and other weaknesses.
“We abstained from voting the Bill. We did not reject the bill. We abstained because while we want the Bill to be passed, we feel that it can be improved.”
