KUCHING, Feb 1 2026: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth has dismissed a call by a Perak state legislative member (SLM) for Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secretary general Alexander Nanta Linggi to resign from the federal cabinet over remarks he uttered in an interview with a private radio station last week.
Christopher Gira: PRS Youth stands firmly in support of the views and concerns that Nanta expressed on MA63, affirming MA63 is not a threat to unity; ignoring it is what weakens Malaysia.
Youth chief Christopher Gira said the comments that Nanta expressed must be viewed within the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) upon which Malaysia was founded on the principles of partnership, mutual respect, and federal–state autonomy, not political uniformity or coercion.
“His remarks reflected concern over national unity, not a rejection of Malaysia nor any cabinet policy,” Gira said in a statement.
“As Sarawakian youth, we reject narrow interpretations that seek to portray MA63 as a subject that cannot be discussed openly or honestly.
“It has been incorporated into the Federal Constitution; therefore, discussing it publicly is not a breach of discipline, but an effort to strengthen constitutional understanding and relations among the founding regions of Malaysia,” he said.
He added if Malaysia truly aspires to progress as a fair and mature federation, Sarawak’s voice on MA63 must not be silenced under the guise of convention, especially when the issues raised concern the rights, status, and future of the founding states of Malaysia.
He said PRS Youth stands firmly in support of the views and concerns that Nanta expressed on MA63, adding that affirming MA63 is not a threat to unity; ignoring it is what weakens Malaysia.
He stressed that true unity exists only when the founding agreement is respected and fully implemented.
Gira said PRS Youth affirms that MA63 is the foundation of Malaysia’s formation, not a peripheral issue or political rhetoric.
He said open discussion on MA63 — including by cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament — is part of the responsibility to ensure that this agreement is understood, respected, and fulfilled.
In a statement published in the news portal Scoop, Aziz Bari, a exco member in the Perak government, has called for Nanta’s resignation as the Works Minister after making “public statements that breach the principle of collective cabinet responsibility”.
Aziz said a cabinet minister cannot openly express views that contradict cabinet solidarity, stressing that ministers are bound by Article 43(3) of the Federal Constitution and long-established conventions under the Westminster system.
Aziz, who is also DAP’s Tebing Tinggi state assemblyman and Perak DAP vice chairman, said that if Nanta wished to make his views public, the proper course was to first step down from the cabinet, describing this as a constitutional requirement rather than a discretionary choice
On Thursday, when speaking in a radio interview with BFM 89.9, Nanta had used the word “divorce” when voicing frustration over “bickering” on political issues, noting the harmonious way Sarawak dealt with race, religion and politics, while politicians in the peninsular were prone to “quarrelling”.
“I want Malaysia to go on as a Malaysia that is progressive and people live in harmony. Is that too much to ask for? But I’m worried. I’m worried if we continue to quarrel over everything then don’t blame us, don’t blame Sarawakians. If you don’t like us, divorce us.”
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