KUCHING (Nov 11): Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang has accused Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak of exaggerating the deferment of the Constitution of State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2020, yesterday.

He said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government had intended to clearly define the term ‘resident in the state’ in the constitution in regards to eligibility to be elected as members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN).

https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/11/11/gps-good-intention-to-amend-constitution-blown-out-of-proportion-by-dap-says-batu-kitang-rep/

However, he said DUN Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar’s had decided to defer the Bill to protect the best interest of the people in the state after he discovered that it contained ‘anomalies’.

“GPS has the good intention of amending the state constitution to clarify on the words ‘resident in the State’ but DAP decided to turn it into a big issue and mislead the people,” Lo told a press conference on the sidelines of the assembly sitting today.

The Sarawak United People’s Party rep said as it is the term was ‘very loose’ in the constitution.

“As it is today, anybody from Peninsula Malaysia can just come into the state and have an residence address here to be eligible to contest in the state selection and be a member of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN),” said Lo, adding that DAP had used the issue to paint GPS in a bad light.

The amendment bill was tabled yesterday by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul karim Rahman Hamzah but was deferred by Asfia after it had been debated.

Besides lowering the qualification age to be elected as a DUN member, the bill had also sought to define ‘resident in the state’ in line with a section in the Immigration Act 1959, which says that a person shall be treated as a resident of an East Malaysian state if he has within the preceding two years been a permanent resident.

DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen was among opposition members of the house who had objected to the bill and had claimed a ‘temporary victory’ for Sarawakians after it was deferred.