Salleh seeks clarity on extra parliamentary seats for Sabah, Sarawak

The former Sabah chief minister says the core issue is the proportion the two states will ultimately hold in the Dewan Rakyat.

“More seats do not necessarily strengthen Sabah and Sarawak if seats in Peninsular Malaysia also increase and the overall ratio remains largely unchanged.

“The real issue, therefore, is not how many seats are added, but what proportion of Parliament Sabah and Sarawak will ultimately hold,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Salleh, who is also the Sabah Umno treasurer, said the government should make clear whether its objective was to achieve one-third representation for Sabah and Sarawak or merely increase their number of seats.

He noted that when Malaysia was formed in 1963, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore together held about one-third of the parliamentary seats.

Following Singapore’s departure in 1965, the question remained as to whether the “spirit and balance” behind Malaysia’s formation should still be reflected in Sabah and Sarawak’s representation.

“For Sabah and Sarawak, this is not simply about getting more seats. It is about whether their representation reflects the spirit and understanding upon which Malaysia was formed,” he said.

Earlier today, the Election Commission denied a report claiming that there was a proposal to increase the number of parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak by 15. Based on the current 222 seats in Parliament, an additional 18 are required for Sabah and Sarawak to reach the one-third figure.

EC secretary Khairul Shahril Idrus said there were presently no proposals to increase the number of parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak, as claimed by the report, in connection with discussions on the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

He said only the seventh Sarawak state constituency review and redelineation proposal had been prepared, and that they were on public display from Sept 1 to 30.

On Sept 11, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the Federal Constitution would be amended to allow for an increase in parliamentary seats for the two states in accordance with MA63.

He also said while the possibility of more parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia cannot be ruled out, it must not undermine the need to increase the representation of Sabah and Sarawak.