As of February 2023, there have been 59 amendments to the Constitution of Malaysia since it was first enacted in 1957. The provision to amend the Constitution falls under Article 159. The constitution can be altered through an amendment Act supported by two-thirds of the members of Parliament. [1]
# | Amendments | Amending law/authority and short title | In force from |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Amend article 34 | Ord. 42/1958 Constitution (Temporary Amendment) Ordinance 1958 | 05-12-1958 |
2nd | Amend articles 15, 16, 17, 23, 30, 34, 42, 43, 48, 56, 57, 61, 76, 114, 119, 122, 125, 132, 135, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 144, 145, 148, 149, 150, 151, 154, 174 Insert articles 43A, 95A Amend schedule 2 | Act 10/1960 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1960 | 31-05-1960 except s.13 and para.17(d): 31-08-1957; s.31: 08-08-1960; s.3: 11-09-1960; s.2, 33 and 35: 01-12-1960; s.22, 24 and para. 27(a) and (c):01-04-1961; s.26: 16-09-1963 |
3rd | Amend articles 14, 15, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, 39, 46, 62, 65, 67, 76, 99, 108, 110, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 125, 132, 148, 155, 159, 160 Insert articles 15A, 26A, 26B Remove articles 17, 20, 21 Amend schedules 1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 13 | Act 14/1962 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1962 | s.8, 13, 24 and 30: 31-08-1957; s.32 (para.14 of Schedule:01-12-1960; |
4th | Amend articles 12, 16, 18, 50, 71, 74, 109, 118, 131, 139, 144, 159, 160, 161, 162, 166, 167 Remove articles 163, 164, 165, 168, 170, 171, 172, 173 Amend schedules 3, 7, 9, 10, 11 Remove schedule 12 | Act 25/1963 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1963 | 29-08-1963 except s.2 and 5: 31-08-1957; s.7: 01-01-1958 |
5th | Amend articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26A, 28, 30, 31, 37, 38, 42, 45, 46, 48, 53, 54, 65, 71, 76, 80, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92, 94, 95A, 105, 113, 114, 115, 116, 118, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132, 135, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 148, 150, 151, 152, 158, 159, 160, 161, 169 Insert articles 16A, 19A, 28A, 30A, 30B, 76A, 95B, 95C, 95D, 95E, 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E, 122A, 122B, 122C, 131A, 146A, 146B, 146C, 146D, 159A, 161A, 161B, 161C, 161D, 161E, 161F, 161G, 161H Remove articles 21, 129, 174 Amend schedules 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 | Act 26/1963 Malaysia Act | 16-09-1963 except s.37: 31-08-1957 |
When Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963, the Malaysia Act was passed in Parliament to amend the Constitution to provide for the name change and the inclusion of the three new states. | |||
6th | Amend articles 9, 26, 35, 45, 57, 62, 160 Insert articles 43B, 43C Amend schedule 8 | Act 19/1964 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1964 | 30-07-1964 except s.5: 16-09-1963; s.4: 01-01-1965 |
7th | Amend articles 54, 95C, 120, 122, 132, 146A, 160 Insert article 118A Amend schedules 7, 8, 9, 11 | Act 31/1965 Constitution and Malaysia Act (Amendment) Act 1965 | 01-07-1965 except Part I of First Schedule and Second Schedule: 16-09-1963; Part II of First Schedule–amendment of Article 132 of the Constitution–Malacca: 01-05-1960 ; and Penang: 01-11-1959 |
8th | Act 53/1965 Constitution and Malaysia (Singapore Amendment) Act 1965 | 09-08-1965 | |
Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign state | |||
9th | Amend articles 1, 3, 9, 14, 15, 16, 16A, 18, 19, 26A, 28A, 30, 42, 46, 54, 55, 71, 88, 95B, 95D, 95E, 112A, 112B, 113, 121, 122A, 122B, 125, 139, 144, 146A, 146B, 146C, 148, 159, 159A, 160, 169 Remove articles 19A, 30A, 30B, 112E, 116F, 116G, 116H Amend schedules 2, 8, 9, 10 | Act 59/1966 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1966 | 19-09-1966 except Schedule (amendments of Articles 1, 3, 14, 15, 16, 16A, 18, 19, 19A, 26A, 28A, 30, 30A, 30B, 42, 46, 88, 95B, 95D, 95E, 112A, 112B, 112E, 113, 121, 122A, 122B, 146B, 146C(1), 159, 160, 161F-161H, 169, Second Schedule, Eighth Schedule (s.23) and Ninth Schedule: 09-08-1965; Schedule (amendments of Article 71): 16-09-1963; Schedule (amendments of Tenth Schedule: 01-01-1963) |
10th | Amend article 150 | Act 68/1966 Emergency (Federal Constitution and Constitution of Sarawak) Act 1966 | 20-09-1966 |
11th | Amend articles 135, 139 Amend schedule 8 | Act 27/1968 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1968 | 09-09-1968 |
12th | Amend article 54 Amend schedules 8, 13 | Act A1 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1969 | 18-11-1968 |
13th | Amend article 122A | P.U. (B) 83/1969 Resolution pursuant to Article 122A(1) | 10-04-1969 |
14th | P.U. (A) 146/1969 Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 1969 | 15-05-1969 | |
15th | P.U. (A) 170/1969 Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 1969 | 15-05-1969 | |
16th | P.U. (A) 143/1970 Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance No. 32, 1970 | 12-05-1970 | |
17th | Amend articles 10, 63, 72, 152, 153, 159, 161A | Act A30 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1971 | 10-03-1971 |
One of the most controversial amendments in Malaysia's Constitution is the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 1971, which came in the wake of the May 13, 1969 racial riots. Known as the “Sensitive Matters Amendment,” it revised Article 10 – which safeguards freedom of speech – to empower Parliament to pass laws to restrict public discussion on four “sensitive” issues: citizenship; the national language and the languages of other communities; the special position and privileges of the Malays and natives of the Borneo states, and the legitimate interests of other communities; and the rulers’ sovereignty. Before the Act, the Conference of Rulers’ consent was required only for amendments to provisions related to the rulers, and the special rights and privileges of the Malays and the legitimate interests of other communities. As a result of the Act, consent was also required for other provisions, such as Article 10 (freedom of speech), Article 63 (privileges of Parliament), Article 72 (privileges of the state legislative assembly) and Article 152 (national language). Article 153 originally provided for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be the guardian of the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interests of other communities. It also empowered him to ensure that a reasonable proportion of opportunities was reserved for the Malays in public service, education, and for permits and licences. The 1971 amendment allowed the natives of the Borneo states to have the same status as the Malays. It also empowered the Agong to direct any institution of higher learning to reserve a reasonable proportion of places for the Malays and natives, should the number of places be less than the number of qualified candidates. | |||
18th | Amend articles 40, 43A, 43B, 54, 61, 125, 135, 137, 144, 159, 160, 162 Amend schedules 3, 5, 8 | Act A31 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1971 | 24-03-1971 except s.4: 19-09-1966 |
19th | Amend articles 132, 135, 144 Insert article 141A Amend schedule 8 | Act A193 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1973 | 05-05-1973 except s.2, 3, 4 and 5: 01-01-1974 |
20th | Amend articles 1, 3, 11, 42, 46, 97, 113, 116 Amend schedules 9, 11 | Act A206 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1973 | Part I and Schedule: 01-02-1974; Part II and III: 23-08-1973 |
21st | Amend articles 25, 48 Amend schedules 2, 8 | Act 160 Malaysian Currency (Ringgit) Act 1975 | 29-08-1975 |
22nd | Act A335 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1976 | 01-02-1974 | |
23rd | Amend articles 1, 3, 5, 11, 12, 19, 24, 25, 28A, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 42, 48, 54, 55, 65, 70, 71, 76, 88, 91, 95A, 97, 99, 100, 101, 106, 107, 108, 111, 112, 112A, 112C, 113, 114, 121, 122, 122A, 122B, 128, 132, 135, 138, 140, 141A, 144, 145, 146, 146B, 146C, 146D, 148, 150, 151, 153, 160, 161, 161A, 161B, 161E, 169 Insert articles 125A Remove articles 146A, 161C, 161D Amend schedules 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Act A354 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1976 | 27-08-1976 except s.48: 01-01-1976 |
24th | Amend schedule 10 | Act A392 Capitation Grant Act 1977 | 01-01-1976 |
25th | Amend articles 45, 135, 141A, 149 | Act A442 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1978 | 31-12-1978 |
26th | Amend articles 15, 16A, 28A, 38, 42, 45, 48, 52, 55, 56, 57, 70, 71, 88, 89, 95B, 95D, 95E, 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 114, 121, 122B, 139, 142, 143, 146D, 149, 150, 153, 161, 161A, 161B, 161E, 169 Remove articles 141, 146C, 146D Amend schedules 2, 5, 8, 9, 10 | Act A514 Capitation Grant Act 1981 | 15-05-1981 except s.19: 27-08-1976 |
27th | Amend article 122 | P.U. (A) 114/1982 Constitution of the Federal Court (Judges) Order 1982 | 01-05-1982 |
28th | Amend articles 1, 37, 43A, 43B, 46, 48, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 66, 80, 87, 90, 105, 114, 121, 122, 122A, 122B, 122C, 123, 124, 125, 125A, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131A, 138, 142, 143, 145, 150, 151, 152, 160, 161, 161A, 161B Remove article 131 Amend schedules 8, 9 | Act A566 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1983 | 16-12-1983 except s.15, 16, 17: 01-01-1985; s.2: 01-02-1974 |
29th | Amend articles 66, 150 Amend schedule 8 | Act A584 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1984 | 20-01-1984 except s.4: 16-12-1983 |
30th | Amend articles 1, 3, 11, 42, 45, 46, 54, 55, 86, 89, 97, 113, 140, 161A Amend schedules 8, 9, 11 | Act A585 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1984 | Part III: 14-04-1984 except s.24 : 01-02-1974; Part I and Part II: 16-04-1984 |
31st | Amend articles 46, 61 | Act A631 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1985 | 24-02-1986 |
32nd | Amend articles 5, 83, 85, 86, 118A, 121, 142, 145 Remove articles 84, 158 Amend schedule 9 | Act A704 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1988 | 10-06-1988 |
1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis Another milestone in the Constitution's evolution was the amendment to Article 121 in 1988, which effectively put the judiciary under Parliament's influence. The attorney-general was also empowered to determine the courts for cases to be heard. To the legal fraternity and civil society, this eroded the judiciary's autonomy and weakened the separation of powers between the three branches of government – the judiciary, the executive and the legislature. The amendment came in the wake of a series of court cases where the executive accused the judiciary of encroaching on its powers. These cases included a court ruling overturning the government's decision to revoke a foreign correspondent's work permit, judicial reviews of ministerial decisions such as the award of the North South Highway project to UEM, and the declaration of Umno as illegal following a dispute over the party's election in 1987. Then Lord President, Tun Salleh Abas, and several judges, wrote a letter to the King about the efforts to undermine public confidence in the judiciary. He was charged with writing the letter without the approval of all the judges and displaying bias against the government, and was dismissed in August 1988. Five Supreme Court judges who objected to the tribunal set up to decide Salleh's fate were suspended. They were the late Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh and Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader, Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Salleh and Datuk George Seah. After Salleh's dismissal, a second tribunal was convened to deal with the five judges, resulting in the dismissal of Wan Suleiman and Seah, while the others were acquitted. Another amendment in 1988 resulted in Article 121 (1)(A), which stipulated a separation of jurisdictions between the civil and syariah courts, whereby the former would have no say over any matter under the syariah court's purview. | |||
33rd | Amend articles 48, 139, 141A, 151 Amend schedule 8 | Act A767 Federal Constitution (Amendment) Act 1990 | 11-05-1990 |
34th | Amend article 139 | P.U. (A) 149/1990 Constitution of the Public Services Commission Order 1990 | 15-06-1990 |
35th | Amend article 141A | P.U. (A) 150/1990 Constitution of the Education Service Commission Order 1990 | 15-06-1990 |
36th | Amend articles 46, 65, 113, 132 | Act A837 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1992 | 20-11-1992 |
37th | Amend schedule 10 | Act 503 Capitation Grant Act 1993 | 01-01-1992 |
38th | Amend articles 32, 38, 42, 63, 72 Insert articles 33A, 181, 182, 183 Amend schedule 8 | Act A848 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1993 | 30-03-1993 |
More controversial were the 1993 amendments that limited the monarchy's power, stripping the nine hereditary state rulers of immunity from prosecution. This came about after an incident where the then Sultan of Johor, Iskandar of Johor allegedly assaulted a sports coach. | |||
39th | Amend article 113 Amend schedule 8 | Act A849 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1993 | 16-07-1993 except s.2 and 4: 20-11-1992 |
40th | Amend articles 43, 54 Amend schedules 8, 11 | Act A857 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Act 1993 | 20-08-1993 |
41st | Amend articles 4, 37, 40, 43A, 55, 65, 66, 80, 87, 105, 114, 121, 122, 122A, 122B, 122C, 123, 124, 125, 125A, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131A, 132, 134, 138, 139, 142, 143, 145, 148, 151, 152, 160, 161, 161B, 161E, 182 Insert articles 122AA, 122AB Amend schedules 6, 8, 9 | Act A885 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1994 | 24-06-1994 |
42nd | Amend schedule 8 | Act A919 Federal Constitution (Amendment) Act 1995 | 21-07-1995 |
43rd | Amend article 46 | Act A945 Constitution (Amendment) Act 1996 | 07-06-1996 |
44th | Amend articles 1, 3, 11, 42, 45, 46, 89, 97, 113 Amend schedules 9, 11 | Act A1095 Constitution (Amendment) Act 2001 | 01-02-2001 |
45th | Amend articles 8, 45, 56, 57, 65, 114, 119, 137 Insert articles 160A, 160B Amend schedules 7, 11 | Act A1130 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2001 | 28-09-2001 |
46th | Amend article 141A | P.U. (A) 169/2001 Constitution of the Education Service Commission Order 2001 | 01-03-2001 |
47th | Amend article 122A | P.U. (A) 378/2001 Constitution of the Court of Appeal Order 2001 | 01-01-2002 |
48th | Amend schedule 10 | Act 622 Capitation Grant Act 2002 | 01-01-2002 |
49th | Amend article 46 | Act A1198 Constitution (Amendment) Act 2003 | 15-08-2003 |
50th | Amend articles 122, 125 Amend schedules 9, 10 | Act A1239 Constitution (Amendment) Act 2005 | 21-03-2005 except para.5(a): 31-01-2007 |
51st | Amend article 122 | P.U. (A) 229/2005 Constitution of the Federal Court Order 2005 | 02-06-2005 |
52nd | Amend articles 46, 121, 124, 125 | Act A1260 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2005 | 19-01-2006 except para.3(b): 10-10-2003 |
53rd | Amend article 122AA | P.U. (A) 384/2006 Constitution of the High Court (Judges) Order 2006 | 01-10-2006 |
54th | Amend article 122A | P.U. (A) 385/2006 Constitution of the Court of Appeal Order 2006 | 01-10-2006 |
55th | Amend article 114 | Act A1320 Constitution (Amendment) Act 2007 | 27-12-2007 |
56th | Amend article 122 | P.U. (A) 163/2009 Constitution of the Federal Court Order 2009 | 01-05-2009 |
57th | Amend article 122A | P.U. (A) 164/2009 Constitution of the Court of Appeal Order 2009 | 01-05-2009 |
58th | Amend article 119 | Act A1603 Constitution (Amendment) Act 2019 | 11-09-2019 except s.3: 15-12-2021 |
59th | Amend articles 10, 48, 160 Insert article 49A Amend schedule 8 | Act A1663 Constitution (Amendment) Act 2022 | 5-10-2022 except s.6: 08-12-2022 |
A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, they can be appended to the constitution as supplemental additions, thus changing the frame of government without altering the existing text of the document.
Freedom of peaceful assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their collective or shared ideas. The right to freedom of association is recognized as a human right, a political right and a civil liberty.
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Rakyat sits in the Houses of Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, along with the Dewan Negara, the upper house.
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia, which came into force in 1957 as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya and was amended in 1963 to form the Constitution of Malaysia, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document influenced by two previous documents, the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948 and the Independence Constitution of 1957. The Federation was initially called the Federation of Malaya and it adopted its present name, Malaysia, when the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore became part of the Federation. The Constitution establishes the Federation as a constitutional monarchy, having the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the Head of State with largely ceremonial roles. It provides for the establishment and organisation of three main branches of the government: the bicameral legislative branch called the Parliament, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate ; the executive branch led by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers and the judicial branch headed by the Federal Court.
The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (Negeri) and 3 federal territories.
An entrenched clause or entrenchment clause of a constitution is a provision that makes certain amendments either more difficult or impossible to pass. Overriding an entrenched clause may require a supermajority, a referendum, or the consent of the minority party. The term eternity clause is used in a similar manner in the constitutions of Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Morocco, Norway, and Turkey, but specifically applies to an entrenched clause that can never be overridden. However, if a constitution provides for a mechanism of its own abolishment or replacement, like the German Basic Law does in Article 146, this by necessity provides a "back door" for getting rid of the "eternity clause", too.
A secular state is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen based on their religious beliefs, affiliation or lack of either over those with other profiles.
The Dewan Negara is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the state legislative assemblies, with two senators for each state, while the other 44 are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King), including four who are appointed to represent the federal territories.
The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore. A written constitution, the text which took effect on 9 August 1965 is derived from the Constitution of the State of Singapore 1963, provisions of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia made applicable to Singapore by the Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965, and the Republic of Singapore Independence Act itself. The text of the Constitution is one of the legally binding sources of constitutional law in Singapore, the others being judicial interpretations of the Constitution, and certain other statutes. Non-binding sources are influences on constitutional law such as soft law, constitutional conventions, and public international law.
The Election Commission of Malaysia, abbreviated SPR or EC, is a commission set up for ensuring fair and equitable operations in undertaking the elections in Malaysia. Its establishment is mandated by executive order of the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The agency falls under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department.
The Cabinet of Malaysia is the executive branch of the Government of Malaysia. Led by the Prime Minister, the cabinet is a council of ministers who are accountable collectively to the Parliament. According to the Article 43 of the Federal Constitution, members of the Cabinet can only be selected from members of either houses of Parliament. Formally, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints all Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. The constitution is amended by repealing the Clause (8) of Article 43, enabling a person who is a member of State Legislative Assembly to continue to serve even while serving as a minister or deputy minister in the cabinet. Ministers other than the Prime Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, unless the appointment of any Minister shall have been revoked by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister but any Minister may resign from office. In practice, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is obliged to follow the advice of the Prime Minister on the appointment and dismissal of ministers.
The basic structure doctrine is a common law legal doctrine that the constitution of a sovereign state has certain characteristics that cannot be erased by its legislature. The doctrine is recognised in India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Uganda. It was developed by the Supreme Court of India in a series of constitutional law cases in the 1960s and 1970s that culminated in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, where the doctrine was formally adopted. Bangladesh is perhaps the only legal system in the world which recognizes this doctrine with an expressed, written and rigid constitutional manner through article 7B of its Constitution.
The Conference of Rulers in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors or Yang di-Pertua Negeri of the other four states. It was officially established by Article 38 of the Constitution of Malaysia, and is the only such institution in the world, according to the Malaysian National Library. Its main responsibility is the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) and their deputy, the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which occurs every five years or when the positions fall vacant. Although its position in the process of elective monarchy is unique, the Conference of Rulers also plays a role in amending the Constitution of Malaysia and some other policies, in particular, those Articles which have been "entrenched", namely those pertaining to the status of the rulers, the special privileges of the indigenous Bumiputra, the status of the Malay language as the national language, and the clause governing the entrenchment of such Articles.
The Sedition Act 1948 in Malaysia is a law prohibiting discourse deemed as seditious. The act was originally enacted by the colonial authorities of British Malaya in 1948 to contain the local communist insurgence. The act criminalises speech with "seditious tendency", including that which would "bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against" the government or engender "feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races". The meaning of "seditious tendency" is defined in section 3 of the Sedition Act 1948 and in substance it is similar to the English common law definition of sedition, with modifications to suit local circumstances. The Malaysian definition includes the questioning of certain portions of the Constitution of Malaysia, namely those pertaining to the Malaysian social contract, such as Article 153, which deals with special rights for the bumiputra.
The local government in Malaysia is the lowest tier of government in Malaysia administered under the states and federal territories which in turn are beneath the federal tier. Local governments are generally under the exclusive purview of the state governments as provided in the Constitution of Malaysia, except for local governments in the federal territories. The federal Ministry of Local Government Development plays a role in co-ordinating and standardising the practices of local governments across the country.
The Premier of Sarawak is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The premier is appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, also known as the state's governor. The premier is also the leader of the political party or coalition able to secure a majority in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.
On 4 April 2019, a bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Malaysia was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat of the Parliament of Malaysia. The bill proposes to amend Article 1(2) so as to restore the status of the two East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak according to the original content of Malaysia Agreement that was signed in 1963.
The Constitution (Amendment) Act 2022 amended the Constitution of Malaysia to restore Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners to Malaya in Malaysia. This was intended to give effect to the Malaysia agreement of 1963. It was passed unanimously by the Dewan Rakyat on 14 December 2021 and came into effect after receiving royal assent on 11 February 2022.