PETALING JAYA: The move to amend the Federal Constitution so that it falls in line with the provisions of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) will have a bearing on the coming Sarawak state election, say political analysts.

       Prof Dr Jayum Anak Jawan of Universiti Putra Malaysia said the tabling of the Bill to amend the Constitution was a good move by the government.

       “It shows the sincerity of the Federal Government and the leadership in addressing long-standing issues that Sabah and Sarawak have felt very strongly about.

       “Apart from having some influence on voters in the polls, the real effect of restoring these rights will go well beyond the state election,” he said yesterday.

       On Wednesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar tabled a Bill in Dewan Rakyat to amend the Constitution with regard to MA63.

       Among the amendments include Article 1 (2) and Article 160 (2) of the Constitution to redefine the States of the Federation as the States of Malaya (namely states in Peninsular Malaysia) and the Borneo states (namely Sabah and Sarawak).

       Also to be amended is Article 160 (2) to include “Malaysia Day” as Sept 16, 1963, which was the date of the formation of Malaysia. Other amendments include the definition of “natives” of Sarawak under Article 161A aimed at conferring the status of a native to the offspring of a native married to a non-native in Sarawak.

       The amendments are expected to be passed during the current Dewan Rakyat meeting which ends on Dec 16.

       International Islamic University Malaysia’s Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod said the amendments would have significance if passed before the Sarawak election.

       “It would be a plus point and an advantage for Parti Gabungan Sarawak (GPS) if it is passed before the polls.

       “The amendments are more substantive than those initially proposed by the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2019 which only aimed to restore the equal status of Sarawak and Sabah with the Federation.

       “This was not received well by GPS which did not support it,” he said.

       On the issue of Undi18, Prof Jayum opined that he does not view this as having a significant bearing if implemented during the election.

       “The general consensus is that Undi18 will change the voting pattern.

       “I think that is giving too much credit to Undi18 which perhaps forms no more than 20% of the total voters in any one constituency, be it at state or federal levels,” he said.

       Prof Jayum added that while there might be more young voters, they were not the majority bloc that could determine the outcome of the election.

       He noted that those who fear Undi18 were elected representatives or ruling parties that had not served their constituencies well.

       Prof Nik Ahmad, meanwhile, believed that Undi18 may not be implemented during the Sarawak election.

       “This is due to the huge logistical task faced by the Election Commission in cleaning the electoral rolls in time for the state polls,” he said.