KUCHING: Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) has expressed concern on the Bill to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution by the PH government.
According to the content of the Bill, tabled in Parliament for the first reading yesterday, the Federation of Malaysia shall comprise of (a) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu; and (b) Sabah and Sarawak.
The association felt that such changes had not guaranteed the equal status of Sabah and Sarawak with the states in Peninsular Malaysia.
Rightfully, SPA said the amendments needed to mention financial and budget allocations; allocation of senate and parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak.
SPA hoped that during the Bill’s second reading, the federal government would also clearly define the breadth of the territorial sea of Sabah and Sarawak.
SPA hoped that the sea territory should not exceed 12 nautical miles, measured from the baseline determined in accordance with Article 3 Part II of Article 3 of the United National Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
On the Petroleum Development Act 1974, SPA said it should not be applicable to the coastal states of Sabah and Sarawak, which should be equally applicable to Territory Sea Act 2012, the void Articles 4 and 5 on Oil and Gas and other resources, in the exclusive Economic Zone Act 1984 and the Fisheries Act 1985.
The Bill should also include amendment to Article 46 to restrict states in Peninsular Malaysia to hold more than two-thirds of the parliamentary seats, by increasing the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak to more than one-third of the total parliamentary seats in Dewan Rakyat.
In this way, amendments of any Federal Constitution will require Sabah and Sarawak members of parliament’s support, it added.
SPA said Federal Constitution Article 160 should also be amended so that the Federation means the Federation established under the Federation of Malaysia Agreement 1963 and not Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.
Clear allocations of financial resources to Sabah and Sarawak should be clearly spelled out in the upcoming second reading of the Bill, it stressed.
SPA felt the federal government needed to give time to the governments of Sabah and Sarawak to discuss and debate the federal constitution amendments which affected them in the respective State Assemblies.
Just by amending Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution did not guarantee equal status of Sabah and Sarawak in the Federation of Malaysia, SPA said.
