SARAWAK lawmakers’ resolution for a “comprehensive amendment to the federal constitution” was discussed at the Cabinet Special Committee on Malaysia Agreement (1963) today – the first since Putrajaya’s failed attempt to amend Article 1(2) of the constitution on April 11.

The meeting in Putrajaya was chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and was attended by Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg.

Assistant law, state-federal relations and project monitoring minister Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali in an interview with the state’s public communications unit UKAS said “all that we wanted to present regarding our rights were discussed”.

She, however, said no decisions have been made yet in the meeting.

“Discussions were conducted in a harmonious and positive manner,” she said.

The resolution presented at the Putrajaya meeting today was earlier debated and endorsed by Sarawak legislative assembly on April 30.

The resolution sought to secure a comprehensive amendment to the federal constitution “so as to restore the status of Sarawak as a partner equal to Federation of Malaya when the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA 63) was agreed and entered into”, was unanimously supported by all lawmakers.

Hasidah listed six major provisions in the federal constitution that should be amended but said the list is not exhaustive and is subject to further consideration.

The demand of inserting the six words – “pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 “ – in any amendment to Article 1(2) and amending the definition “the federation” in Article 160(2), top the list of proposal.

The Sarawak state lawmakers agreed that the word “federation” referred to in the constitution should be one that is established under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and not the one under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.

Other amendments are to provisions to safeguard the legislative and executive powers of Sarawak, the sources of revenues and special grants assigned to Sarawak and her financial autonomy and amend Article 95B that would stop parliament from making any amendments to “the supplements of List II or List III of the 9th Schedule” without the consent of the Sarawak legislature.

Hasidah said their support would “realise the objectives and to meet the expectations and aspirations of Sarawakians”.

Despite the rancour in the debate, the handful of PH assemblymen departed from their federal lawmakers stand to rally behind Hasidah’s call that “any amendment must not result in the erosion of the legislative and executive powers of Sarawak or removing any of the safeguards for the special interests of Sarawak provided under MA63 and should provide Sarawak with additional protections against any encroachment onto the constitutional safeguards by the federal government.”

Apart from Abang Johari, others in the Sarawak delegation included deputy speaker of the Sarawak legislative assembly Gerawat Gala and State Attorney-General Talat Mahmood Abdul Rashid.

The meeting is only the second since the committee was formed in December last year. – May 17, 2019.