KUCHING – The amendment to Sarawak’s state constitution will allow governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud’s stepchildren, among others, to contest in local polls, said Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen today.
As reported in The New Sarawak, children of Sarawak-born individuals are eligible to stand for state election.
Chong, who is Kota Sentosa assemblyman, was quoted as saying the word “Sarawakian” is not in the amendments, but rather “normal resident”.
“I proposed that the qualifying words be ‘Sarawakian’ but my proposal was rejected by GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) as they do not want the word ‘Sarawakian’ to appear in the state constitution and they do not want ‘Sarawakian’ to be the qualifying criteria for the eligibility to be elected as Sarawak assemblymen,” he told the news portal.
Last week, the bill on the amendments were objected to by DAP and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), calling for tighter eligibility requirements.
Chong said DAP and PSB had also objected to the first version of the amendment bill as the qualifying word used was “resident”. The GPS government then withdrew the bill.
Taib Mahmud’s wife Toh Puan Ragad Kurdi Taib is of Lebanese descent, and has two children from her previous marriage.
In 2018, Ragad was recognised as Melanau. – The Vibes, November 16, 2020
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