SARAWAK DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen is making a hopeful push for the third-generation children of Chinese and Indian immigrants to qualify as natives of Sarawak in a proposed amendment to the interpretation bill.

“They are born and raised here (in Sarawak) and should be regarded as natives,” the Padungan assemblyman said as he filed a notice today to amend the interpretation bill.

The amendment bill will be tabled by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali tomorrow.

Chong said his proposal is in line with the principle of “inclusivity”.

“There should not be any distinction or discrimination,” he said.

Chong proposed the words “Chinese, Indian or any race not stated herein and the person and the person of which race is born in Sarawak and whose natural parents or either one of the natural parents is also born in Sarawak” be inserted to clause 2 of the proposed amendments.

He filed the notice with State Assembly Speaker Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar under standing order 50(4) – to add words stating the object and motive on which the opposition to the bill is based – and standing order 54(2) – giving at least one day’s notice of any proposed amendments.

The amendment is to list the races considered to be indigenous to Sarawak.

Under the proposed amendment, 47 ethnic groups and their subgroups will be considered as natives of sarawak.

A person who is a citizen and a natural-born child of a person of a race indigenous to Sarawak and those who “satisfies the condition and requirements imposed by the state cabinet” for recognition of such a person as a native of Sarawak.

Chong was among the 79 assemblymen who won in last December’s state elections who took their oath of office before Asfia. 

Three could not take their oath because they are under quarantine. 

They are Kuala Rajang assemblyman and Assistant Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development Len Talif Salleh; Piasau assemblyman and Assistant Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts I Sebatian Ting and Repok assemblyman Huang Tiong Sii. 

Len Talif and Huang were tested positive for Covid-19 while Ting had come into close contact with a positive case. 

Len Talif and Huang had been given leave of absence for the whole of the three-day meeting of the assembly while Ting was only given a leave of absence for today. – February 14, 2022.