Amendment failure a lost opportunity for Sarawak

LETTER | Politics is the main reason for the failure of the amendment bill to restore Sarawak’s rights to be passed by Parliament with the GPS coalition from Sarawak, BN and PAS members abstaining.

Both sides of the divide came out with reasons for the failure of the bill to pass, each blaming the other for the failure, all trying to score political points.

The Sarawak Institute for Public Affairs (SIPA) is of the view that these parliamentarians are less concerned for the people and more concerned about their political gains. 

The Pakatan Harapan side wanted a hasty end to the matter by pushing aside many considerations and tabling a half-baked deal which deserved what it got.

On the other hand, the GPS coalition failure to work with the government prior to the amendment bill debate is a disgrace to the people in Sarawak. 

Surely, as informed by the Law Minister, the bill was earlier circulated amongst the GPS coalition for their inputs and even the Chief Minister of Sarawak was reported to have assented to the content and yet they chose to abstain from voting. 

Citing misgivings after the failure is akin to crying over spilt milk and these Sarawak parliamentarians should answer to the people of the state.

So what is the next step – more comprehensive input from all quarters should be initiated now by both PH and GPS for the sake of Sarawak and its future well being. 

Gather all the necessary feedbacks from all levels of the people and work these into the proposed amendment for tabling in parliament. 

Work out a schedule of about six months to gather all these info and concerns and be transparent about the whole process, especially leaving out political mileage in the whole exercise. 

Only this way can both parties be respected by the people and it could well be the start of a working relationship between the two opposing parties and a healthy future for Sarawak.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.