Gira: Sarawak grant, seat share must reflect rights

KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth chief Christopher Gira Sambang has called for the state’s interim special grant to be raised to at least RM1.5 billion annually and for Sarawak and Sabah to secure at least one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

Gira, who is also Tamin assemblyman, said Sarawak currently received RM600 million under the interim arrangement, while Sabah’s grant had been increased to RM1.5 billion.

“In my view, pending the finalisation of a permanent formula, Sarawak should receive an interim special grant of at least RM1.5 billion annually,” he said in a statement today (Sept 12).

He stressed that the grant was a constitutional entitlement under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.

“It is not financial assistance, an act of goodwill or a gift from the federal government,” he said.

Gira said a permanent formula should take into account Federal taxes and revenue collected from Sarawak, the State’s contribution to the national economy, including oil and gas, as well as its geographical size and higher cost of delivering services in rural areas.

Population, infrastructure needs, inflation and the development gap between Sarawak and other regions should also be considered, with the formula reviewed every five years, he said.

On parliamentary representation, Gira welcomed the federal government’s agreement to increase Sabah and Sarawak’s seats but said this should not stop short of achieving at least one third representation.

“ A small increase would not be sufficient if Sabah and Sarawak still do not collectively hold at least one third of the total seats in the Dewan Rakyat,” he said.

He noted that Sabah and Sarawak currently held 56 of the 222 parliamentary seats, or about 25.2 per cent.

“The demand is not merely for a few additional seats. It is about restoring a political safeguard consistent with the spirit of Malaysia’s formation in 1963,” he said.

Gira also called for the one third guarantee to be expressly provided for in the Federal Constitution, saying the proportion should be automatically adjusted if parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia were increased.

“This is why a guaranteed percentage is more important than merely fixing a specific number of seats,” he said.

He urged the federal government to consider both issues in the context of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and consult the Sabah and Sarawak governments before finalising any changes.