KUCHING: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has clarified that she does not object to Sabah and Sarawak’s demand for one-third of parliamentary seats, according to the Borneo Post.She said her March 3 parliamentary response was given on behalf of the minister responsible for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) and the Election Commission (EC), stressing that her position had not been misunderstood.
“Oh no, definitely not. My parliamentary statements are never misunderstood,” she said when asked whether she opposed the one-third representation claim.
On March 3, Azalina had told Parliament that any increase in parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak required careful study because of its wider implications for other states, in response to a question from Kudat MP Datuk Verdon Bahanda.
Her remarks drew criticism from Gagasan Rakyat vice-president Datuk Masiung Banah, who said they appeared to contradict Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s reported agreement in principle to increase parliamentary representation for the two states.
Azalina said she was not in charge of the EC and was responding on behalf of the relevant minister, while the details and implementation of any increase in seats would require further consideration.
