GABUNGAN Parti Sarawak youth today criticised two DAP leaders for “twisting the facts” over Pakatan Harapan’s failure in April to amend Article 1(2) of the constitution to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak.

They accused party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen of lying about the failure to pass the amendment, a key promise made by PH at GE14, at its convention in Miri over the weekend.

The proposed amendment to restore the status of the two Borneo territories, according to the original wordings of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, failed to obtain the two-thirds support required to pass it.

Only 138 MPs supported the bill, 10 fewer than the 148 votes required in the 222-member Parliament.

GPS lawmakers abstained from voting after their proposal to include six words, “pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963”, into the reworded Article 1(2), was rejected by Putrajaya.

The two DAP leaders were trying to divert the attention of members away from the failure to fulfil many of the pre-election promises.

“Stop peddling lies,” the GPS youth leaders – Gerald Rentap of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Snowdan Lawan of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Micheal Tiang of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Robert Ayu of Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) – said in a statement.

“DAP is lying to cover up its failure to fulfil its election promises.

“GPS MPs did not support the bill that was tabled because the amendment did not take into account their proposal to insert the words to define clearly Sarawak and Sabah’s position as equal partners in Malaysia as contained in the MA63.

“The MA63 agreement, the basis for the formation of Malaysia, is nowhere mentioned in the constitution.

“It was only mentioned in a footnote which does not bring any effect in legal terms,” the GPS youth leaders said. – October 29, 2019.