Bill needs approval of Sabah, Sarawak assemblies: Kurup
Published on: Sunday, April 07, 2019
By: Johan Aziz
KENINGAU: Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup (pic) said the draft Bill to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution tabled for first reading in Parliament on Thursday was far from the original and as the Sabah and Sarawak people wished.
He said the matter is very important because it has ramifications and implications for the people in the two states.
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“That is why the draft Bill needs approval of the state assemblies of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said, in a statement, Saturday.
Kurup, who is also a former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution as amended and tabled in Parliament does not mean anything at all.
“It was just a rewriting of what is now and it does not mean that Sabah and Sarawak are equal partners in the Federation.
“In order to avoid this matter being prolonged and raising the possibility of a tense relationship between the Federation, Sabah and Sarawak, it is better this case is discussed together before it is tabled in Parliament for its second reading and debate.
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“The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Datuk Liew Vui Keong) is supposed to do this before presenting the Bill.
“He (Minister in JPM) should postpone it and bring it to the table to be discussed with Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
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In another development, Kurup, who is also former Member of Parliament for Pensiangan, said the call to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe into disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat was a genuine call and should be considered seriously.
“I had the opportunity of meeting the family while at JPM and it cannot be denied that the prevailing suspicion among members of the public all mostly pointed to the law enforcement agencies.
“The confidence in these enforcement agencies by members of the public was greatly affected. This being the case and in my opinion with the RCI probing these cases it can possibly restore the confidence,” he said.
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