Kota Kinabalu: Increasing Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary seats is not enough unless their representation is restored to approximately 35 per cent of the Dewan Rakyat, said Star President Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan (pic).Welcoming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that the Federal Cabinet had agreed in principle to increase both the number and proportion of seats for the two States, Jeffrey said the final ratio must be clearly specified.
He said Sabah and Sarawak collectively hold 56 of the present 222 parliamentary seats, or about 25.2pc, compared with the approximately 34.6pc allocated collectively to Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore when Malaysia was formed in 1963.
Jeffrey said at least 34 additional seats would be needed for Sabah and Sarawak to hold approximately 35pc of an expanded House based on the present 222 seats and assuming no additional seats are created elsewhere.
He called for a constitutional amendment establishing the approximately 35pc ratio to be prioritised and targeted for completion by the end of 2026, saying the issue was about restoring the original constitutional balance and safeguards envisaged at Malaysia’s formation.
