KUALA LUMPUR: The onus is on Sabah and Sarawak lawmakers to support the amendment to the Federal Constitution to honour the Malaysia Agreement that was made in 1963 (MA63), says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
This is light of an uproar earlier in the day from Sabah and Sarawak MPs who want the Bill to be retracted so that it can be deliberated upon further.
“Well, if this is rejected by Sabah and Sarawak, as far as this government is concerned, we are for it, but we don’t have a two-thirds majority,” Dr Mahathir told reporters at the Parliament lobby on Thursday (April 4).
The Prime Minister said the move by the Pakatan Harapan government was to recognise the agreement between “the federation of Malaya, and Sabah and Sarawak, so we revert to that.
“But because the Federal Constitution did not make it clear, we have to change the Constitution.
“To do that, we have to get two-thirds (support in Parliament),” he said.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2019 was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Liew Vui Keong in the Dewan Rakyat earlier Thursday.
The Bill seeks to amend Clause (2) of Article 1 to make sure that it is in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement of 1963.
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