The proof is in the pudding

20 Dec 2021 Parliament on 14th December 2021 passed the amendments to Article1(2) and 160(2) which reads as follows; The States of the Federation shall be: (a) The States of Malaya, namely Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu; and, (b) The Borneo states, namely Sabah and Sarawak The amendment also included a new provision which recognises Malaysia Day. In this Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them, that is to say: “Malaysia Day” means the sixteenth day of September, nineteen hundred and sixty-three.” For Article 160 (2), the amendment will read: “The Federation” means the Federation that was first established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 and further pursuant to an Agreement concluded on the 9th day of July, 1963 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore, the Federation is called Malaysia with Colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak and the State of Singapore federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya as the States of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in accordance with the constitutional instruments annexed thereto but under and by virtue of the Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign State dated 7th August 1965, Singapore has ceased to be a State of Malaysia. While it is generally understood that the meaning of The Federation is as established in the Proclamation of the Federation of Malaysia on 16th September 1963, it is now ambiguously referred to mean that the Federation as first established under the Federation of Malaya 1957 and the colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak to be federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya 1957. So where in the wordings of the amendments is the equal status of Sabah and Sarawak with the Federation of Malaya when they are to be federated with the existing States in the Federation of Malaya 1957? The proof is in the pudding. Parliament should now revoke ActA354 of Federal Constitution and the State Assembly of Sabah to revoke Article1(1) of the State Constitution to reinstate the status of the Yang Di Pertua Negeri to Yang Di Pertua Negara. DATUK JAMES LIGUNJANG FORMER PETAGAS STATE ASSEMBLYMAN