It’s timely for Borneo Post (Sarawak version) to remind us that who were for and against the amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution which downgraded the status of Sabah and Sarawak from “founding states” or regions within Malaysia to one of the 13 states when it was debated on 12th and 13th July 1976, in it’s headline news today.
The amendment to Article 1(2) was among 48 amendments to the Federal Constitution under a Bill tabled by the then Prime Minister Datuk Hussein Onn on 12th July 1976 and it was passed on the next day.
It was learnt that 9 MPs (8 DAP, 1 PEKEMAS) opposed the Bill during the policy stage, and 4 MPs (3 DAP, 1 PEKEMAS) opposed it during the committee stage. But none of them from Sabah and Sarawak.
Before the constitution amendment, Article 1(2) read:
The states of the Federation shall be
(a) The states of Peninsular Malaysia, namely, Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu; and
(b) The Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak.
That description shows both Sabah and Sarawak are at least an equal entity to all 11 states of Malaya added together.
After the amendment in 1976, Article 1(2) now reads:
The states of the Federation shall be Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and Terengganu.
Pathetically, Sabah and Sarawak were no more two out of three, or one out of two, but two out of 13.
The downgrading of Sabah and Sarawak as equivalent to ordinary Malayan states is weakening Malaysia’s federal, inclusive and secular nature, paving way for false interpretation that Malaysia is an expansion of Malaya.
The big question mark is, why no parliamentarian from Sabah and Sarawak has proposed an amendment on Article 1(2), but those from DAP, which always demonized as a “Malayan Party”, fighting alone for the equal status affirmation for Sabah and Sarawak?
On 5th April this year, I had tabled a motion for the Sabah State Assembly to seek for the consensus from the state to reject the constitution amendment to Article 1(2) in 1976 and urge all the MPs especially those from Sabah and Sarawak to initiate or support such amendment as follows, the Article 1(2) to read like this:
The states of the Federation shall be
(a) The states of Peninsular Malaysia, namely, Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu;
(b) Sabah; and
(c) Sarawak
Unfortunately, this motion never gets debated let alone passed.
On 15th April, Sabah State Assembly Speaker Syed Abas Syed Ali instructed his deputy Johnson Tee to “return” my motion.
His ground was that the 1976 Amendment did not affect Sabah’s and Sarawak’s rights in Articles 74 and 77 and the Ninth Schedule.
Why does the speaker need to deprive Sabah lawmakers their right to even debate on the matter? Who is he to decide that an amendment to Article 1(2) will not benefit Sabah’s standing in fighting for more decentralisation of power?
Syed Abas Syed Ali might not represent himself. He represents Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Sabah Umno and Sabah BN.
Why are Musa Aman, Sabah Umno and Sabah BN so afraid of a clear constitutional position to state that Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya are equal partners in Malaysia?
Now, if Musa Aman has no guts to defend Sabah before Umno, what about his counterpart, Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem?
Recently, he said that Sarawak MPs may propose in the Parliament to reinstate an article of the Federal Constitution to enable the founding state to regain its powers that had been eroded over the years.
But what had happened to those Sarawak BN MPs when DAP’s Sandakan MP Stephen Wong’s proposed motion regarding the same issue never being allowed to debate in Parliament? Why didn’t they support Stephen’s motion?
Sabahan and Sarawakian should realise that, It’s not about a party rooted locally or registered in Kuala Lumpur. It’s about principle, consistency and stewardess. We should reject hypocrite attitude and those wayang kulit.
Let’s urge your people representatives to make their stand clear on this issue.