[ad_1]
KUCHING: Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg clarified today that the decision on the state’s relations with the federal government led by Perikatan Nasional (PN) was “a positive thing” related to the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 (MA63).
He said that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had agreed to revise the amendment to Article 160 (2) of the Federal Constitution as required by the Sarawak government.
“Actually, when I said that we would soon make a decision on state relations in the Malaysian federation in Lubok Antu yesterday, I was actually referring to MA63,” he told reporters today.
“The prime minister agreed to have more discussions on the matter and (we are awaiting) a decision to amend the Constitution that will strengthen the relationship between the state and federal governments, in line with MA63.
Today’s news headlines sounded political. I want to clarify that it is MA63 ”, he said.
Abang Johari explained that Article 160 (2) of the Constitution needs to be amended as the interpretation of the phrase “the Federation” still refers to the federation established under the 1957 Malaya Federation Agreement.
“So, we want it to be amended as ‘the Federal Constitution established under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement’ instead, which would give force to MA63,” he said.
He said that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) did not support the constitutional amendment on the state of Sabah and Sarawak introduced by the Pakatan Harapan-led government in 2019 as it did not include such an amendment.
The prime minister also reiterated that the GPS was a separate entity and not a member of the PN. He said that he would always prioritize the spirit of “Sarawak First” in whatever matter he deals with.
