Page:Report of the Commission of Enquiry North Borneo & Sarawak.pdf/57

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for a number of years under the Government of the new Federation and to give it their whole-heated loyalty.

152. The considerations in the preceding paragraph lead us to the View that, during the transitional period which we have recommended. the general pattern should be the following:

(a) Responsibility for External Affairs, Defence and the anti-subversive aspects of Internal Security should be transferred at once to the Federal Government.
(b) Representatives of Sarawak and North Borneo should sit in the Federal Parliament and should be elected by the respective legislatures from among their own unofficial members. The election of a person to the Federal Parliament should not entail the vacation of his seat in the Legislalure of his territory. It might be thought reasonable for the two territories to have smaller representations in the Federal Parliament during the transitional period than their full quota under the final arrangements. On this latter point we are in agreement with our Malayan colleagues, as we have indicated in paragraphs 155 and 166 below.
(c) The Head of State in each territory should have executive powers similar to those at present exercised by the two Governors, We recommend further that Ihe title of Governor should not be changed, particularly as it will presumably continue to be used for the Head of State after the trasitional period comes to an end.
(d) The Governors should be advised as at present by Executive (or Supreme) Councils and should take Ihe chair all meetings of these Councils. Chief Ministers should be appointed as soon as practicable and a Ministerial system introduced to cover subjects in the State legislative list. Federal subjects should remain the responsibility of Officials. In particular, the chief secretary, Attorney—General, and Financial Secretary should remain as ex officio members of the Excecutive Councils and of the Legislatures in both territories until the end of the transitional period.
(e) An elecloral system for the Legislative Council in North Borneo should be introduced as soon as possible. We consider too that there will be a need to increase unofficial number of unofficial members of the Legislatures of both territories in order to meet the additional duties that members will be called upon to undertake. Some officials will have to be retained in the legislatures until Federal subjects are handed over. We recommend that Speakers should be appointed at an early date.
(f) As soon as possible afler a decision has been taken to create a Federation of Malaysia, a Joint Committee should be appointed composed or representatives of the Federal Government and of the State Governments of Sarawak and North Borneo, with an independent Chairman to be agreed between the three Government The task of this Committee