Downgrading of Sarawak status: SUPP says sorry

KUCHING:  Sarawak United People’s Party  has apologised for having supported the amendment to the Federal Constitution on July 13, 1976 that led to the downgrading of the state from its previous sovereign status.

Its secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting Chew Yew admitted  that party leaders then did not object but agreed to the passing of the amendment to the Federal Constitution in 1976, which reduced Sarawak to one of the 13 states.

“The present leadership accepts this responsibility and, on behalf of the party, I would like to apologise to party members and the people of Sarawak as a whole,” Ting said in a statement released by the party Wednesday.

The amendment to Article 1 of the Federal Constitution in 1976 through Act A354, saw Sarawak downgraded from Region 2 in the Federation of Malaysia, to being one of 13 states in Malaysia.

“It is the most critical and fundamental ‘discrepancy’ found in the Federal Constitution.

“This is because, as a result, it has tremendously curtailed the disbursement of federal funds for Sarawak and Sabah to a level of state, rather than two of the three founding partners.

“In other words, both Sarawak and Sabah have been short-changed in financial allocations from the Federal Government,” Ting said in the statement.

He expressed his party’s support for Sarawak Chief Minister  Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s call to amend Article 1 of the Federal Constitution in Parliament to its original wording.

SUPP viewed the amendment to Article 1 of the Federal Constitution as significantly fundamental that it has tremendously curtailed the disbursement of federal funds for  Sarawak and Sabah to a level of state, rather than two of the three founding partners.

“In other words, both Sarawak and Sabah have been short-changed in financial allocations from the federal government,” the statement said.

Ting added that the Sarawak government now wanted to use the Cobbold Commission, Inter-Governmental Committee, MA63 and the Malaysia Act 1963, that could not be altered or overridden by any act of Parliament, in order to claim the rights and entitlements which belonged to Sarawak with the signing of the MA63.

“The present leadership accepts this responsibility and on behalf of the party, I would like to apologise to party members and the people of Sarawak as a whole,” he said.

He, however, said the party had repeatedly reiterated its stand that all the discrepancies in the Federal Constitution on Sarawak’s Rights from the covenants enshrined in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 shall be fully addressed.

He said the most critical and fundamental ‘discrepancy’ found in the Federal Constitution now was Article 1 whereby pursuant to the amendment in 1976 through Act A354, Sarawak was downgraded from being Region 2 in the Federation of Malaysia to one of 13 states in Malaysia.

“According to MA63, there shall be no confusion that the Federation of Malaysia is a federation of nations, unlike the former Federation of Malaya which was a unitary state system with the centralisation of governing powers,” he said.

The party reiterated that the motion to demand for Article 1 of the Federal Constitution to be amended to reinstate the original intention of the signatory parties to the MA63 that the formation of Malaysia is an association of equal partners which combines each other’s strength and resources with each individuality retained.

The party also voiced its concern over the statement given by Professor Datin Paduka Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam in a  history seminar ‘A Journey To Merdeka: Sarawak in Malaysia last Sunday.

“She appears not to understand that Sarawak is not a state like any other states in Malaya but as a founding equal partner to the whole of Malaya.

“ Most people would not know that her (Ramlah) own state was not a signatory to the Malaysia Agreement, and as such, not invited to the negotiation table to set up the new nation in 1963. So how can Perlis be on equal status with Sarawak,” asked Ting. 

Kredit : SarawakVoice.com