KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s attempt to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners to Peninsular Malaysia was stunted after the Bill to seek amendment to the constitution was rejected by the Dewan Rakyat.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was short by only 10 votes after the Bill was put up for bloc voting by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Yusoff tonight.
Mohamad Ariff said 138 lawmakers voted for the amendment, while 59 abstained from voting. No MPs voted against the Bill.
The proposed amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution required a minimum two-thirds support by the Lower House, or 148 votes.
