I am disappointed over the written reply given by Speaker of the Lower House in the Parliament today.
In the reply, my motion to recognize Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia filed on April 28 was rejected on grounds of non-compliance with federal laws.
The suggested bill reads the following:
“(2) The Federation shall comprise of – (a) The states of the Federation of Malaya, namely, Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu; (b) Sabah; and (c) Sarawak”, instead of “one of thirteen states”.
It is very important for this bill to be debated in Parliament because it will recognize Malaysia as a Federation comprising of three regions or entities, i.e. Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.
It is undeniable as the historical fact that Sabah and Sarawak should not be treated as one of thirteen states. Breach of the “Malaysia Agreement 1963” is equal to showing disrespect to the entire Malaysia as a Federation.
DAP as a National Party has been striving hard to build a real Federation where Sabah and Sarawak should be treated as equal partners in the federation. It is not a National Party upholding Federalism in line with autonomy for both Sabah and Sarawak because DAP strives for a better Malaysia that is equal, fair and just for all.
On the contrary, BN parliamentarians have never proposed such an amendment to honor either the Malaysian Agreement or Federalism.
In Sarawak meanwhile, BN has been using this as political tool to gain public support, but none from BN has ever proposed this amendment in Parliament.
Besides the status of Sabah and Sarawak, the proposed amendment would also include the recognition of Malaysia Day in the Federal Constitution.
It is crucial for the nation to recognize September 16 as the day to honor the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. As such, it should be ratified in the Federal Constitution instead of merely an announcement of public holiday by BN government.
Last but not least, although the amendment bill was rejected, DAP and I would continue pursuing this matter and I will be tabling this again in the next sitting.