PARLIAMENT | PKR president Anwar Ibrahim (Harapan-Port Dickson) called for more power to be given to the common people of Sabah and Sarawak but reminded their leaders not to repeat abuses of power when it came to immigration and corruption.
The opposition leader was debating the four amendments concerning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) today.
"There are those in Sarawak who talk about equality but are the same ones abusing their power to bar people from the peninsula from entering.
"There are also those who complain about the federal allocation for East Malaysia being low but at the same time, the politicians are enriching themselves at the cost of the people," he said.
Anwar said that he fully endorsed the spirit of the MA63 amendments, provided that they benefitted the people.
"Let's take the example of immigration. Leaders in Sabah and Sarawak shouldn't be abusing immigration powers, especially during election time, by barring MPs from the peninsula from entering Sabah or Sarawak.
"We in West Malaysia are also fighting hard for the rights of the people of Sabah and Sarawak. Just because (the ruling parties) have power, they cannot do whatever they want," said Anwar.
"Let's not forget that over the last 58 years (when Malaysia was formed in 1963), there have been too many leaders in Sabah and Sarawak who have come and gone only to accumulate extraordinary wealth for themselves.
"And at the same time, impoverish the people. This is not the spirit of the establishment of Malaysia," he said.
"If we want to build a united and just Malaysia, this is not the way. Malaysia is about fairness and for all. Profits should be shared with all the people equally and not benefit the companies of these politicians and their friends.
"This must be stopped," said Anwar.
Four amendments
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 changes to the constitution and are 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 back to "Tanah Melayu" (Malaya); and the Borneo states that are 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 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
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