Chong Chieng Jen to the Speaker: Why the delay in distributing the Bills to the state assemblymen?

 By Simon Peter

KUCHING, February 12, 2022- Padungan state assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen has complained today that the Opposition state assemblymen have not received any Bills to be tabled in next week’s three-day sitting of the State Assembly.

Picture: Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen

He said basic principles of parliamentary democracy dictates that the elected state assemblymen must be given ample time to vet any bills to be tabled and do proper research before debating on such bills.

“With the sitting starting on Monday and debates on the bills to be on Tuesday and Wednesday, yet copies of the Bills not forwarded to the state assemblymen before the sitting, the GPS Government is depriving the state  sufficient time to go through with the bills before the debates thereon start.

“Is the GPS government with its 76-seat majority now treating the State Assembly with such disdain and as rubber stamp of executive?

“With its super-majority of 76 seats, the GPS government can now easily bulldoze through whatever bills that it tables in the State Assembly without much hassle.  

“Nonetheless, though the Opposition is now reduced to only six seats, the GPS government and the Speaker must show their respect to the institution of State Assembly of  Sarawak by adopting the best practices of parliamentary democracy.  

“We should not allow the arrogance of this majority to destroy the integrity and sanctity of the oldest legislative body in Malaysia,” he complained.

Chong, who is also Stampin MP, noted Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sri Karim Rahman Hamzah, had indicated yesterday that there would be some “interesting bills” to be tabled in the  sitting, but that he declined to disclose the content of such bills.  

“That means, copies of the bills are ready but that the government refused to give prior notice or more time to the state assemblymen to read the bills before the debates,” Chong, who is also the Sarawak DAP chairman, said.

The State Assembly will sit for three days, beginning on Monday, February 14, with the swearing in of the 82 state assemblymen.

The tabling on the bills will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Don't be too happy with the gazette of amendment to Federal Constitution"

 By Voon Lee Shan, PBK president

Citizens of Sarawak and Sabah should not be happy with the gazette of Constitution (Amendment) Act 2022, concerning Clause 2 of Article 1; the definition of the Federation and the new definition of Malaysia Day in Clause 2 of Article 160; the indigenous races of Sarawak in Clause (6)(a) of Article 161A; and the removal of Clause 7 of Article 161A.

Picture: Voon Lee Shan, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president

The amendments could not as claimed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar restored Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners within Malaysia under the MA63.

The amendments, by not giving one-third and another one-third seats out of 222 parliament seats for Sarawak and Sabah is meaningless.

Malaya without giving away two-thirds out of the 222 seats in parliament to Sabah and Sarawak confirm the political suppression of Sarawak and Sabah of their rights by Malaya.

Malaya by this way is also confirming Sarawak and Sabah as her colonies.

Citizens of Sarawak and Sabah need to be aware that by treating Sarawak and Sabah as colonies, their countries had lost their oil and gas resources to Malaya under the care of PETRONAS.

If there is to be a meaningful amendment in Article 1(2) it must be clearly stated that Sarawak and Sabah are countries within the federation of Malaysia.

This would allow the Chief Ministers of Sarawak and Sabah be called as Prime Ministers.

The stand of Parti Bumi Kenyalang is that the Malaysia Agreement 1963( MA63) is an invalid international agreement.

Being invalid, any amendment to the federal constitution and the consent to gazette the amendments by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, could not put the breaches in MA63 right.

You cannot restore a broken glass and you cannot resuscitate a still born baby to life. Without a valid MA63 Malaysia could not be born.