KUCHING: The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) convenes today until April 29, when state assemblypersons are expected to debate and make major decisions over state matters.
Three bills would be tabled – the Supplementary Supply (2014) Bill, 2015; the Supplementary Supply (2015) Bill and Forests Bill, 2015.
Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh is expected to table the Supplementary Supply (2014) Bill, 2015 and Supplementary Supply (2015) Bill while Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan will table the Forests Bill, 2015 which seeks to replace the present Forests Ordinance.
A total of 335 questions from 39 DUN members have been submitted and will be answered either orally or in writing.
For this seven-day DUN sitting, seven motions have been submitted by opposition state representatives. Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen will move two motions – the use of the term ‘Dayak’ to include all the races and sub-races in the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance and for Unified Examination Certificate to be recognised by the state government and be equivalent to the Malaysian education highest certificate.
Pujut independent asemblyman Fong Pau Teck submitted three motions, namely, referendum for Sarawak, the change of name of DUN to Parliament and the Chief Minister of Sarawak to Prime Minister of Sarawak as well as to oppose the amendment of the Sedition Act and to repeal the colonial era Sedition Act.
Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian will move the motion for the state assembly to make its official stance on the implementation of hudud law in Sarawak.
The last motion was filed by Batu Lintang representative See Chee How who has moved for power to be bestowed to DUN over the proposed sale of state-owned Sacofa Bhd (Sacofa) to Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMS) as the price to be sold, according to See, was ‘too low’.
It is understood that there will not be much debates on the passing of the two Supplementary Supply Bills. The Forests Bill, 2015 is also expected to be well accepted by both the ruling and opposition members as the Bill seeks to enhance forest conversation.
Some motions, however, are expected to ignite hot debates between the two political divides such as the motion for the state to reject hudud implementation as well as the sale of Sacofa while others may be turned down outright for lack of rationale and irrelevance such as the motion to change Sarawak State Assembly into Sarawak Parliament and to name Sarawak Chief Minister as Sarawak Prime Minister.
The current state assembly consists of 54 BN and BN-friendly members, 14 opposition members, two members from Sarawak Workers Party and one Independent.