KUALA LUMPUR: The restoration of the original wordings of Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution is only the first step toward restoring the true status of Sabah and Sarawak within the federation of Malaysia.
Keningau MP Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said now that that part is over and done with, Sabah will look to amend its own constitution to restore the title of the Sabah governor from the Yang DiPertua Negeri to the Yang DiPertua Negara.
“This is significant because it elevates our status as a country compared to when we address our governor as mere Yang DiPertua Negeri.
“We need to instil in the people’s minds the true status of Sabah, and for that matter, Sarawak, within Malaysia,” he said in a statement here today.
Kitingan said this will also restore the original wording of the Proclamation of Malaysia where the governor of Sabah was addressed as the Yang DiPertua Negara of Sabah.
Other than this, Kitingan said the GRS-led Sabah government will continue to fight for the full restoration of Sabah’s autonomy particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.
He also pointed out that in addition to Article 1(2), the other flaw in the Federal Constitution is the Article 160(2) which defines the Federation as the Federation established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.
“Sabah and Sarawak are not parties to this agreement. This interpretation must be corrected because otherwise, whenever the term ‘Federation’ is used in the Federal Constitution, it refers only to the states of Malaya.
“An amendment must be made to interpret the Federation as the Federation formed pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 or else this charade of Malaya pretending to be Malaysia will continue,” he said.-pr/BNN
