KOTA KINABALU – Sabah PAS has denied accusations that it is not fighting to restore Sabah’s status as an equal federation partner.
The party’s sole Sabah assemblyman, Aliakbar Gulasan, said one cannot judge the party’s stand on state rights based on its rejection of a 2019 bill amendment initiated by Warisan’s then Batu Sapi MP, the late Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
Aliakbar was responding to Warisan treasurer Terrence Siambun’s statement yesterday that Warisan does not want to be associated with Perikatan Nasional (PN) because PAS rejected the bill to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners.
“Why is he (Siambun) only pointing fingers at PAS, when Umno and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) also rejected the bill? I think he does not know of PAS’ true struggles, especially in Sabah.
“Sabah PAS is fighting for state rights for sure. I believe in the fight for our rights in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), particularly on the socio-economic status of Sabahans.
“But the bill (in 2019) did not portray the demands of the people in Sabah and Sarawak. The ‘equal rights’ in the context was not clear.
“The PN government has set up a committee to look into MA63 in a more holistic way,” Aliakbar, who is also Sabah PAS secretary, told The Vibes today.
In April 2019, under the Pakatan Harapan government, a bill proposing an amendment on Article 1(2) of the federal constitution was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat but failed, with 10 votes short of a two-thirds majority.
The bill was aimed at restoring the status of Sabah and Sarawak as per the original content of MA63. – The Vibes, May 22, 2021
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