KOTA KINABALU: The government should provide the public with more details on the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution to reinstate Sabah and Sarawak's position as partners in the Malaysian federation.

       Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said the government should have disclosed the details to the public and stakeholders much earlier so that a comprehensive discussion on the amendments could have been conducted before its tabling in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 26).

       "Only a few top officials have been briefed. Not even the Sabah Legislative Assembly members, including myself, have access to a copy of the proposed amendments," said Yong, who is a nominated assemblyman.

       Yong said that his sources had informed him that the proposed amendment to Article 1(2) was "merely to rearrange" the numbering of the states.

       "I understand that nowhere in the proposed amendments is ‘equal status’ mentioned," he claimed in a statement on Sunday (Oct 24).

       Yong said that there seems to be no mention of transfer of powers from the Federal List (in the constitution) to the State List.

       "There is no mention of the unconstitutional Territorial Seas Act, no mention of the fulfilment of the 40% net revenues for Sabah, no mention of the definition of oil and gas as 'minerals' so that oil and gas come under the power of the Sabah government," he added.