Sabah assembly endorses amendment of Constitution to honour MA63

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the reconstruction of the railroad, which had ceased operations for decades, would close the development gap between the interior and the urban areas.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah legislative assembly made a fresh move by unanimously endorsing the amendment of the Federal Constitution to put back the original wordings of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) that failed to be passed in Parliament on April 9.

The House unanimously approved their support for Parliament to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution that will put Sabah and its neighbour Sarawak as equal partners with the peninsula.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Karanaan assemblyman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun tabled a special motion under Standing Order 31(2) on Thursday (April 18).

“The motion is for a unanimous voice to support the amendment of Article 1(2) presented on April 9, and secondly, for the state government and MPs from Sabah to continue discussions with relevant parties to ensure it is implemented in Parliament in the right time," said Masidi.

State Opposition leader Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan supported the move, only seeking that the definition of "Tanah Melayu" to indicate the 11 states of Peninsular Malaysia as in the original document.