KOTA KINABALU, March 8 — Minister of Law in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong today said that the Cabinet has agreed to amend Article 1 (2) of the Federal Constitution to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia.

He said the decision to amend the Constitution was reached at the Cabinet meeting last Wednesday and was indeed a major step towards the implementation and compliance of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

"The amendment to the Federal Constitution will be tabled at the next Parliament session scheduled to begin on March 11 and it will need two-thirds majority support to be passed.

"The ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) government currently has 135 Members of Parliament (MPs), including nine from Warisan and one from Upko. To have two-thirds majority support, we need at least 148 MPs.

"But I’m confident that the MPs from Sabah and Sarawak will give their full support to restore Sarawak and Sabah as two separate territories in the Federation of Malaysia,” he told reporters after officiating the closing of the forum titled Restorative Justice — An Alternative to Imprisonment, here today.

Liew said it was only right for the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as stated in the MA63 be restored, starting with the amendment to the Federal Constitution to return their status as equal partners with the peninsula.

"After the amendment, Sabah and Sarawak will no longer be known as ‘states’. We also have other plans to ensure the rights of Sabah and Sarawak can continue to be protected.

"That is why we are so grateful to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak for their concern in this matter (returning Sabah and Sarawak’s rights as stated in MA63),” he added. — Bernama