KOTA KINABALU: V.K Liew, the Minister of Law is urged to discuss with the stakeholders particularly Sabah and Sarawak as to the content of the proposed amendment to Article 1(2) of Federal Constitution that is to be re tabled in Parliament in March this year.
Former Petagas State Assemblyman, Datuk James Ligunjang in a statement said its important for the Minister of Law to present the proposed amendment to Sabah and Sarawak due to the significant importance and impact as to the status and rights of Sabah and Sarawak as sovereign states and equal partners in the formation of the Federation of Malaysia sealed by a treaty called Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“Why was Malaysia created as a Federation was because it was created by a union of sovereign States namely the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore in pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he stated.
According to him, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is a binding international treaty recognised by the United Nations and the Vienna Convention on treaties which must be honoured by all signatories without any violations as to rights of sovereign member states.
The Federation of Malaya through deception and manipulation of parliamentarians from Sabah and Sarawak passed a constitutional amendment in parliament in 1976 degrading both states as one of the 13th States in the Federation of Malaysia in total violation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, he said.
“The Constitutional amendment in 1976 on Article 1(2) has made Sabah and Sarawak as colonies of the Federation of Malaya.This contentious issue must corrected inorder not to jeopardise the existence of the treaty and the Federation of Malaysia.”
“It is therefore vitaly important for V.K Liew the Minister of Law of Malaysia to engage comprehensively with the stakeholders before tabling again in March,the amendment to Article 1 (2) of the Federal Constitution to safeguard the future of the Federation of Malaysia,” he said.- pr/ BNN
