Chong shows the rejection letter from the Dewan Rakyat Speaker. With him is Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
KUCHING (Dec 14): Review the decision on the motion for the devolution of power in healthcare and education to Sabah and Sarawak, and allow it to be tabled in Parliament today, DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen has urged Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
In making this call yesterday, Chong said the Federal Constitution Amendment Bill, out for tabling in Parliament today for the second reading, meant to restore the definition of the ‘Federation of Malaysia’ to its original version as per Federation Constitution 1963.
“The government and the Parliament have rejected my proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution for the devolution of power in healthcare and education to Sabah and Sarawak.
“It’s a huge disappointment that our motion was rejected, hampering the agenda of devolution of power over healthcare and education to the state.
“It is even a greater disappointment that the minister in charge of the matter is a GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) minister from Sarawak, YB Wan Junaidi,” he said in a press conference here yesterday.
Chong said last month, along with Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin and Tuaran MP Madius Tangau, he had jointly submitted a notice of motion to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun to incorporate an amendment to the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution List IIIA, which is the ‘Concurrent List for States of Sabah and Sarawak’, to include healthcare and education to the list.
“Our proposed amendment is to devolve the power over healthcare and education to the state so that the state government can also legislate on matters over healthcare and education.
“This is also in line with what the people of Sabah and Sarawak want all this while.
“However, despite all said by GPS and SUPP (Sarawak United People’s Party) regarding autonomy over healthcare and education, our motion was rejected because the Federal Cabinet refused to allow our motion to be tabled in Parliament and thus, the rejection of my motion by the Speaker,” he said, adding that the rejection letter was dated Dec 9.
Chong said despite the rejection and non-cooperation back in 2019 by the MPs from GPS for the Amendment Bill by Pakatan Harapan (PH), he said the PH would not reciprocate this time.
“We will, on Tuesday, support the Amendment Bill tabled by the Perikatan Nasional (PN)-led government in Parliament because whatever is good for Sarawak, we support it.
“It is also to be noted that given the precarious position of (Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri as the Prime Minister, this is the golden opportunity for GPS to get the devolution of power over healthcare and education at this moment, especially when GPS has the number of members of Parliament to tilt the balance of federal power,” said Chong.
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