Govt seeks to pass MA63 amendments today

 

PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya is seeking to bulldoze and pass constitutional amendments in relation to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) today.

The bill has been tabled for second reading at the Dewan Rakyat today, and the lower house will not adjourn after its lunch break until the amendments have been passed.

The amendments will likely receive the two-thirds support needed to pass the changes to the Federal Constitution, which is part of the memorandum of understanding between Putrajaya and Pakatan Harapan.

The bill seeks to make four amendments.

The first is to redefine the meaning of the federation in the constitution, from one centred on Malaya's independence in 1957, to include the MA63 and East Malaysia's joining of the federation.

The second will restore Article 1(2) to create a clear distinction that the federation consists of two blocs, namely the peninsular states hereby reverted to "Tanah Melayu" (Malaya); and the Borneo states that is Sabah and Sarawak.

The third amendment is to officially enshrine Sept 16 as Malaysia Day in the Federal Constitution.

The fourth amendment is to tweak Article 161A to remove definitions of 'native' Sarawakians and grant Sarawak the right to determine who is a native of the state.

In 2019, the Pakatan Harapan administration proposed similar amendments to Article 1(2). However, this bill could not be passed as there was no two-thirds support from MPs. MPs from BN and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) abstained from that vote. The same MPs are now in power.

The push to amend the bill coincides with the Sarawak election, where polling is scheduled this coming Saturday. - Mkini