History has proved DAP right and Sarawak government leaders represented by GPS wrong with the passage of the 2021 Constitution Amendment Bill to undo 45 years of injustices of the 1976 Constitution Amendment Act

History has proved DAP right and Sarawak government leaders represented by GPS wrong with the passage of the 2021 Constitution Amendment Bill in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, 14th December 2021 to undo the injustices of the 1976 Constitution Amendment Act.

GPS leaders cannot completely blame the Federal Government for the 1976 Constitution Amendment Act which placed Sarawak at a considerable disadvantage for half-a-century as the Barisan Nasional Sarawak government leaders had fully voted for the 1976 Constitution Amendment Act and must bear half the responsibility for the “stepchild” treatment of Sarawak for the past half-century.

The only political party which voted against the 1976 Constitution Amendment Bill was the DAP, and that was before DAP set up branches in Sarikei, Sibu and Kuching in 1978.

It showed that the DAP had always put the rights and interests of the people of Sarawak as r paramount concern.

The first thing the new Sarawak State Assembly that will be elected tomorrow should do is to set up an All-Party Committee to demand Fair Compensation from the Federal Government to Sarawak for failing to adhere to the commitments of Malaysia Agreement in 1963 (MH 63) and to demand proper compensation from the Federal Government for not adhering to MH 63 to ensure proper and fair financial allocation, self autonomy rights in health and education, oil rights and development resources for half a century.

It is important that DAP representatives should be appointed to this All-Party Committee on Fair Reparations from the Federal Government to Sarawak for failing to adhere to the commitments of MA63, for the nine DAP votes in Parliament opposing the 1976 Constitution Amendment on July 13, 1976 had been proven right by history.

In fact, the new Sarawak State Assembly should meet this year itself to show its seriousness to demand fair compensation from the Federal Government and draft a Bill of Reparations which should be presented to the next meeting of Parliament next February.

Lim Kit Siang MP for Iskandar Puteri