Upko remains steadfast in seats demand, says president

PENAMPANG, Nov 12 — United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) remained steadfast to its stance that Sabah and Sarawak receive one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat as the demand is long overdue.

“The need for one-third of the Dewan Rakyat seats for Sabah and Sarawak is long overdue because when we discussed the formation of Malaysia, there were several demands from Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore,” said Upko President Datuk Ewon Benedick.

Speaking to reporters after officially opening Upko Penampang, Putatan and Kota Kinabalu divisions’ joint convention here on Sunday, Ewon who was asked to elaborate on what he said in his speech pointed out that it is clearly stated in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) report that one-third of the Dewan Rakyat seats should be allocated to states or territories other than the Peninsula or Malaya.

Advertisement

“This means one-third of the seats from Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore, and after Singapore’s exit, the composition of Dewan Rakyat seats should remain the same, unfortunately, it was altered, giving an advantage to the Peninsula until now,” he said.

Ewon, who is also Penampang Member of Parliament, hoped that with the support of political parties from Sarawak and Sabah, the composition of Dewan Rakyat seats can be corrected.

“It will undoubtedly require amendments to the Constitution and electoral boundary changes. I understand that discussions have taken place with the Sarawak government and as Sabah is also connected to the issue, I fully support all efforts made to ensure that one-third of the Dewan Rakyat seats are allocated to Sabah and Sarawak.

Advertisement

“I also support the Sarawak Premier in this matter, as his party has already demanded and passed a resolution to demand one-third of the Dewan Rakyat seats for Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Ewon who is also a member of the Special Action Council for the Implementation of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63) and the Technical Committee of the Implementation of the MA63, said that one of the agendas discussed in the committee is one-third of the Dewan Rakyat seats for both states.

“I will use this platform to raise Upko and the people of Sabah’s stance with regards to the matter. Under our country’s legislation, the Election Commission will propose a re-delineation of electoral boundaries, including new constituencies, every eight years.

“We must discuss the need for one-third for Sabah and Sarawak starting now, and I think the 2025 period is for the Election Commission to propose new electoral boundaries, taking into account the growing population and the related factors in creating new electoral boundaries,” he said.

“We do not want this constitutional amendment to be made only by the majority of members of the Dewan Rakyat from Peninsular Malaysia because this country would not have been formed without Sabah and Sarawak.

“We need to correct what was started in 1963, which was altered after Singapore left Malaysia,” he said. — Borneo Post