KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said he will not give up and will continue to fight for the people, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak, following the government’s failure to amend the Federal Constitution to restore the two states’ original status.
He said the action of a small group of Parliamentarians in not voting for the amendment was unreasonable and detrimental to the people.
“I will not give up; the people’s struggles will continue until the end. I hope the people can see what the opposition has done today.
“This will be set in history and our generation can see that they have rejected the motion. I am extremely sad because this was a golden opportunity to restore this status,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here last night.
The government’s efforts to amend the Federal Constitution, to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s original status as enshrined in the agreement for the formation of Malaysia in 1963, failed to get the two-thirds majority support in the Dewan Rakyat tonight.
The amendment bill fell short by 10 votes from obtaining two-thirds majority support. Two-thirds majority means 148 votes are needed in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat.
Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal expressed his disappointment on the failure to amend the Constitution as the people of Sabah had been waiting for it for a long time.
“You can imagine, in particular, fundamental things that we cannot agree on and vote for it, what more other things that we can realise. It’s already 55 years, we have waited for such a long time…we are not saying that we should be in a hurry but, for God’s sake, this is 55 years, this is a fundamental thing,” he said.
In the meantime, Mohd Shafie said Sabah would continue with its earlier demands, like the 20 per cent oil royalty, although it would be more complicated following the failure to amend the Federal Constitution yesterday. – Bernama
