Asfia: MA63 committees discussion progressing well

KUCHING: The issues being discussed by the MA63 Committees is progressing well although no final decision has yet been made on those issues.

“Today’s meeting with the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Openg served as an update of the status of the MA63 discussions held as above, it is also to consult With the Consultative Committee as mandated by the Dewan Undangan Negeri ,” Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar said during a press conference after chairing the meeting held at DUN here yesterday.

Asfia, who is DUN speaker said , one of the pertinent issues discussed was on the announcement by the Federal Minister for Law on the proposal to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution. The Consultative Committee would reserve its comments on the matter until after the proposed bill has been sighted by members of the Committee.

“We would however, support any amendments to the Federal Constitution or any law for that matter if we are convinced that it contains a substantive improvement to the rights and interest of the State and not merely for the purpose of window dressing,” he added.

Asfia noted that these are important issues to the State as well as to the nation and would be prepared to wait and be updated further in accordance with the schedule already agreed by the Federal Steering Committee.

“As the discussion have been classified as “secret”, we are not at liberty to divulge the contents of those discussion at this moment. Be rest assured that come the time when the report of the committees have been finalized, we will disclose more to the public,” he stressed further.

Since the last Consultative Committee Meeting, the Federal Cabinet Steering Committee in which Chief Minister led on behalf of the state have held another meeting on the 5th March, 2019. Prior to this date, several other meetings had been held by the various committees including the Technical Committee, the Working Committee and its various clusters.

Also present at the press conference were State Legislative Assembly (DUN) deputy speaker Dato Gerawat Gala and others in the committee mainly Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce and Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh; Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan; Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Corporate Affairs) Abdullah Saidol; Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Sharifah Hasidah; Dato Sebastian Ting (SUPP-Piasau); Dato Henry Harry Jinep (PDP-Tasik Biru); See Chee How (PKR-Batu Lintang), Chiew Chiu Sing (DAP-Tanjung Batu) and Irene Chang (DAP-Bukit Assek).