Walk your talk and hold special sitting to discuss Federal Constitutional Amendments, Jeffrey told

Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan

24 October 2021

By Farah Salim

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah DAP has called on Sabah STAR President Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan to walk his talk and bring a motion to the Speaker of the State Assembly Sitting to call for a special sitting regarding the upcoming Federal Constitutional Amendments, just as he has proposed previously.

Jeffrey in his latest statement mentioned that any changes to the wording of the Federal Constitution affecting Sabah and Sarawak should be agreed upon by the Sabah Government and its legislative assembly.

The first reading of the bill to amend article 1(2) and article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution to be in line with the provisions of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and to restore the status as equal partners for Sabah and Sarawak is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon.

“DAP is of the view that Jeffrey should walk the talk by bringing an emergency motion to the state assembly to call for a special sitting. DAP Sabah is prepared to support the special sitting motion proposed by STAR.

“However, it is bizarre that Jeffrey as a member of the executive branch and holding the portfolio of the Deputy Chief Minister would issue a media statement to call for the special state assembly sitting, instead of bringing a government motion directly to state assembly,” said its publicity secretary Phoong Jin Zhe in a statement today.

He stated that according to the State Assembly’s Point of Order, the government affairs and motion will always be discussed first in the state assembly.

Therefore, he asserted that Jeffrey as the minister in the cabinet should just do it and bring the motion to the state assembly.

“The dates of the state assembly sitting are always decided by the state cabinet. Jeffrey has the power to call the special session but why is he not doing it instead of just issuing a statement. This is strange. Does it mean that he did not get approval from his Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor?

“In fact, Jeffrey as the chief of a component party in ruling Perikatan Nasional has been involved in meetings with the federal government over the MA63 discussion. And he has been in power for more than one and half years. How come he is acting like an opposition member and issuing statements as if he is not part of the government?”

Phoong also stressed that STAR should be more proactive in taking up its responsibility in defending Sabah’s rights and ensuring any decisions by the federal government affecting the Borneon States should first refer to the Sabah government.

“This is in line with the spirit of federalism,” he noted.