KUCHING: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) Baru has expressed support for the position taken by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) MPs at the second reading of the Federal Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament last Tuesday.
Its acting president Patrick Anek Uren said many concerns had not been resolved when the Bill to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution was tabled before the Dewan Rakyat.
He said PBDS Baru shared the concerns of the GPS MPs and to abstain was their only option under the situation.
“We (PBDS Baru) as a local-based party are with the people of Sarawak in the fight to protect the state’s wealth and interests. Therefore, we stand firm with other local based parties, including GPS, in any efforts to empower Sarawak’s rights and to restore what are rightfully Sarawak’s,” he said at a press conference after chairing PBDS Baru supreme council meeting here yesterday.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tabled the Bill for second reading on April 9. It was tabled for first reading by the Law Minister VK Liew on April 4.
The Amendment Bill was not passed after it failed to get a two-thirds majority. Only 138 Members of Parliament voted in support, while 59 (made up of GPS, Umno and PAS) abstained. There were no votes against it.
Yesterday’s meeting of PBDS Baru was the first to be called after the sudden demise of its president Cobbold John Lusoi, 57, due to heart attack on March 7.
Anek said PBDS Baru would finalise its new office bearers at its triennial delegates’ conference sometime in July this year.
On a separate issue, Anek said PBDS Baru would cooperate with Sarawak local-based parties in the next state elections.
“I will, however, not disclose the parties concerned until after our TGM,” he added.
According to Anek, the party decided to work with Sarawak local-based parties as it was totally against Malaya-based parties to be in control of the State Legislative Assembly.
“We don’t want to see Sarawak to lose its special rights such as those over immigration,” Anek added.
