EITHER one of two constitutional articles must be amended to reflect Sabah and Sarawak’s equal status with Malaya if Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is to support the Perikatan Nasional government in the Dewan Rakyat, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said today.

A two-thirds majority is required to amend the federal constitution.

Abang Johari said if Article 160(2) which defines “the federation” were amended, GPS would  drop its demand for the six words, “pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963” to be included in the proposed amendment of Article 1(2) to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Malaya in the federation of Malaysia. 

“It’s one or the other,” he told reporters in Kuching today, following yesterday’s federal cabinet discussions on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

The present definition of “the federation” in Article 160 means the “federation established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957”.

GPS wants reference to the 1957 Malaya agreement to be changed to “the Federation of Malaysia Agreement 1963”.

The former Pakatan Harapan government had tried to amend Article 1(2) to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Malaya in April last year, but did not obtain enough support from MPs to change the constitution.

Only 138 MPs – mostly PH and Sabah lawmakers – supported it, but the bill was 10 votes shy of the required two-thirds majority or 148 votes needed to pass.

On earlier discussions with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the PH cabinet committee on the MA63, Abang Johari said what had been agreed upon by the previous government would be seen through by the new government under Muhyiddin Yassin. 

“All will be carried forward and (we) won’t (have to) start all over again.”

Abang Johari added that he was satisfied with Sarawak’s representation in the new Perikatan Nasional-plus-GPS government.

“It’s good and part of what we wanted,” he said.

GPS has four full seats in the cabinet, including one senior ministerial post. 

The coalition was also given seven deputy ministerial posts but Progressive Democratic Party president Tiong King Sing has rejected the post in the National Unity Ministry he was assigned. – March 12, 2020.