KUCHING: The Sarawak government welcomes the reversed decision on the relocation of the Registry of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu, said Batang Sadong MP Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
She pointed out that the federal government had suddenly made a U-turn after the hue and cry from Sarawakians.
“We are grateful to Sarawakians for speaking as one voice in fighting for Sarawak’s constitutional right. I urge Sarawakians to always keep their eyes and ears open so that they will always be aware of their surroundings, especially the decisions of the government,” she told New Sarawak Tribune.
She said the overwhelming response by Sarawakians over the relocation issue might have caused the federal government to reverse its decision.
“This serves as a reminder to Sarawakians that we have to pay extra attention to decisions made by Putrajaya. This is not an ordinary procedural non-compliance but a legal obligation by the government,” she pointed out.
Nancy added the “rakyat” (people) had continuously expressed their concerns over too much politicking in the country.
“Sarawakians have proven their strengths and unity in condemning the decision of the federal government for not respecting the law and also for not respecting the Sarawak government. Putting Sarawak’s interests first must always be our top agenda,” she stressed.
Prior to this, she said Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) was labelled as traitors for speaking strongly for rights of Sarawak in parliament.
“When we asked for the amendment to be referred to the select committee, it was rejected and later, the Law Minister said he would establish a Select Committee to deal with the amendment.
“Just a few days ago, we were faced with a constitutional crisis in which the minister denied Sarawak its mandatory constitutional right to be consulted before a decision was made on the relocation. It was a very disappointing move,” she said.
Nancy said as a department that should uphold justice and the rule of law, the Judiciary was expected to act with the highest level of care in applying the legislation.
