Make it a must to refer constitutional amendments to PSC, says MP

 

Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau said referring proposed constitutional amendment bills to parliamentary committees would ensure the bills would be as refined as possible. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

A backbencher has urged the government to make it mandatory for any proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution to be referred to a parliamentary select committee (PSC).

Wilfred Madius Tangau (PH-Tuaran) said constitutional amendment bills should be referred to PSCs after the first reading to ensure that it would be as refined as possible through stakeholder engagements.

He said making it compulsory would be a safeguard against constitutional amendments that go against past agreements, particularly the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), The Borneo Post reported.

“Since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the Federal Constitution has been amended 58 times. These frequent amendments were often done hastily and reactively, which has affected other laws, leading to further amendments being required.

For example, Clause 2 of Article 1 of the Federal Constitution, regarding the definition of the federation of Malaysia, was amended twice in 1976 and then reverted to its original form in 2022 to comply with MA63,

 he was quoted as saying.

The former Upko president was debating the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat today. - FMT