Wan Junaidi speaking to reporters during the clinic inspection.
KUCHING: Amending an article in the Federal Constitution will not make Sarawak and Sabah equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia, said Santubong MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Wan Junaidi said in order for Sabah and Sarawak to be equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia, there was a need to renegotiate the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He explained that the four important documents in MA63 namely the Cobbold Commission Report, Inter-Governmental Committee Report, Malaysia Act 1963 and Federal Constitution must be relooked into.
“If you amend one section, you are not making Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia). What it does, is restore to format Article 1(2) before 1976, after Singapore left,
“If we want to be equal partners, we need to renegotiate the whole Malaysia Agreement, we have to do another law of Malaysia, we have to redraft the constitution.
“So don’t get confused and don’t get misled by the big statement saying to be equal partners simply by amending one section (of the Federal Constitution),” he said when met at the handing over of Mothers’ and Children Clinic at Kampung Bintawa today.
Wan Junaidi was asked to comment on Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong announcement yesterday that the proposed amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution will be re-tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in March next year.
The de-facto law minister said this was agreed between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s office on Monday.
The proposed amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution was tabled at the Dewan Rakyat in April, this year by Dr Mahathir.
It sought to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia but the content and wording of the amendment bill were disputed in Parliament.
It then failed to secure the required number of votes to be passed in Parliament as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) MPs had abstained from voting.
GPS was slammed by Pakatan Harapan leaders for supposedly failing the people of Sarawak after the proposed amendment was dropped.