NOW, SARAWAK LEADERS WANT ADENAN TO BE INCLUDED IN NAJIB'S 'DICTATOR BILL' COUNCIL

A senior state minister from Sarawak has joined the call to expand the National Security Council to include the two chief ministers from East Malaysia.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing is the second Barisan Nasional leader in the state to express this desire, after Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Senator Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian recently.

Masing said the Federal government should recognise Sarawak and Sabah as two of the independent entities which helped formed Malaysia in 1963, with the Federation of Malaya and Singapore, and that warranted them to sit in NSC. Singapore left Malaysia in 1965.

“I agree with him (Dr Sim). Sarawak and Sabah should be represented at NSC. Putrajaya should recognise and understand that Sarawak and Sabah are two of the entities which helped formed Malaysia and therefore should sit in NSC,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

The suggestion to include the chief ministers of Sarawak and Sabah in the proposed NSC was made by Dr Sim when he debated on the NSC Bill 2015 in the Dewan Negara recently. It followed the same suggestion last week by his party colleague, SUPP secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting Chew Yew, who said the absence of representatives from Sarawak and Sabah in the NSC is very glaring.

Dr Sim had suggested Clause 6 of the NSC Bill be amended to include the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak, or representatives chosen by their respective governments, as permanent members of the NSC.

“I also wish to suggest amendments to Clause 18 and Clause 22 to include mandatory agreements from the Chief Ministers of Sabah and Sarawak before any action to declare an ‘area of safety’ in both states is taken,” he told the Dewan Negara, the Borneo Post reported.

He had also said that the views and voice of Sarawak and Sabah, as founding members of the country, should always be taken into account in the formation of any law.

Following Dr Sim's remarks in the upper house, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, when winding up the reading of the bill on Tuesday, said NSC members were selected based on expertise and not in the spirit of including state representatives.

“Members are selected based on their suitability to the subject matter. Having too many members is not appropriate with the main function of the Council, which revolves around security and state secrets.

“However, the Council will set up a special committee which requires committee members, and here, any party, including ministers, will be called if the need arises for its smooth running,” Shahidan was quoted as saying by the Sarawak daily.

The NSC Bill was passed by the Dewan Negara on Tuesday. It was bulldozed through the lower house or Dewan Rakyat in a matter of two days earlier this month. - TMI