by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, June 18, 1993:
MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and PBDS Ministers should get the Cabinet next Wednesday to make a clear-cut policy statement dismissing the Speaker’s proposal replace two-thirds majority requirement for constitutional amendment with simple majority vote
It is most disturbing that the proposal by the Speaker of Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Zahir Ismail, that the two-thirds majority requirement for constitutional amendments be replaced by a simple majority vote seems to be developing a powerful momentum instead of being snuffed out completely.
Following the reactions by the UMNO Secretary-General, Datuk Mohamed Rahmat and the MCA Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Sak Cheng Lum, the next day that both UMNO and MCA would study the Speaker’s proposal, the Minister for Law, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar has yesterday given the proposal a further boost with his statement about a government review of the Constitution.
DAP calls on the MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and PBDS Ministers to unite to get the Cabinet next Wednesday (which will be chaired by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed on his return from his Chinaa visit) to make a clear-cut policy statement dismissing the Speaker’s proposal to replace the two-thirds majority requirement for constitutional amendments by a simple majority vote.
Yesterday, T said that the silence of Gerakan over the Speaker’s proposal to scrap the two-thirds majority rule for constitutional amendments was most ‘ominous’ and ‘extraordinary’, and this is being borne out by the momentum which the Speaker’s proposal is acquiring in the last four days.
MCA, Gerakan. MIC, SUPP and PBDS Ministers should make the UMNO Ministers understand that any proposal at this stage to scrap the two-thirds majority rule for constitutional amendments would seriously undermine the entire nation-building process and even jeopardise the Vision 2020 of Malaysia becoming a fully developed nation with a Bangsa Malaysia.
MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and PBDS Ministers and leaders cannot be silent any more on this issue and should realise and agree that if the two-thirds majority rule is scrapped, it would be a political disaster of the first magnitude for Malaysia, and make their opposition to this proposal loud, clear and unmistakable!