KIMANIS POLLS | The government is expected to bring again to Parliament a motion to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, on the rights of Sabah, after the first attempt to debate the matter in April last year became unsuccessful.
Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said the amendment is crucial to return the state its rights.
"Insya-Allah (if God permits) we will try to bring the motion this March.
"... And we will see if they (the opposition) would support it or not. The Sabahans are not stupid (to choose who) in the 15th general election," Shafie said when met by reporters during a ceramah for the Kimanis by-election in Bongawan last night.
On April 9 last year, Putrajaya's plan to amend the Constitution to return the rights of Sabah and Sarawak failed to go through Parliament. The amendment will ensure that Sabah and Sarawak will be equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia.
An amendment to the Federal Constitution can only be passed by the august House if it gets two-thirds support from the Members of Parliament.
As per the current situation, the Pakatan Harapan ruling government will need the support of at least 148 parliamentarians to pass the amendment.
It was thwarted last year when the voting on the motion to amend Article 1(2) saw only 138 MPs supporting it, while 59 others had abstained from voting. No MP voted against the motion.
Commenting on BN's promise during the by-election campaign that it will fully implement the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) if the coalition gets back into power, Shafie said this should have been done a long time ago.
The promise was made by BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (above) two days ago, during his campaign in Kimanis.
Shafie also touched on the claim by former foreign affairs minister Anifah Aman that he (Anifah) had to wait for two hours before getting to meet Shafie when Shafie was the minister in charge of rural development.
Anifah had said that Shafie purposely made him wait, despite being aware that he had come to meet the minister to discuss on the development for Kimanis.
Shafie responded: "I do not know when he wanted to see me. My secretary never told me about this... who said we never gave (to Kimanis)? We gave RM500,000.
"Why did he wait at the Rural Development Ministry? He was a foreign affairs minister who had a lot of things to do, too.
"His business is about the problem between Malaysia and the Philippines over the claim to Sabah (by the Philippines). Why did he wait at my office?" - Mkini
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