A little more than 2 years ago, during Ismail Sabri’s administration, Ismail Sabri had promised to grant Sabah and Sarawak 35 percent of the parliament seat.
When Anwar Ibrahim came to power, one of the first things he promised was to fulfil the MA63 agreement that Federation made to Sabah and Sarawak, which Sabah and Sarawak had long claimed that the Federation neglected to. Amongst the items of the agreement that Sabah and Sarawak believed that the Federation had neglected, was their right to possess 35 percent of the parliament seats.
For context, at the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Semenanjung had taken 65 percent of the parliament seats, while Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak were each accorded 10 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent of the parliament seats respectively. When Singapore exited the Federation in 1965, Semenanjung’s share of the parliament seat increased to around 75 percent while Sabah and Sarawak continued to own the remaining 25 percent.
Sabah and Sarawak have long contended that Singapore's share of 10 percent of the parliament seat should rightly be accorded to them, to protect them against arbitrary changes that Semenanjung might affect on the constitution, which might erode their rights and infringe on their interest. Only if Sabah and Sarawak have the 35 percent of seats, the Bornean states insist, will they be able to have a say on any attempt by Semenanjung to effect changes on the constitution that might infringe on their rights and interest.
Now when we say that Sabah and Sarawak want 35 percent of the parliament seat, what it was originally in reference to was the Dewan Rakyat. Later on however, rather than receive 35 percent of the Dewan Rakyat seats, it was proposed that Sabah and Sarawak be given one third of the Dewan Negara seats instead.
This proposal however, was largely rejected by the Bornean states under the premise that Sabah and Sarawak needed to have veto powers in the Dewan Rakyat to safeguard their rights and interest.
For context, the Dewan Negara does not have the authority to block bills but can only delay them.
For money bills, the Dewan Rakyat can bypass the Dewan negara if there are unresolved differences on the bill after one month of being sent to the upper house. Non-money bills can only take this passage if the impasse over the bill remains for a year.
However, all constitutional amendments must go through the Dewan Negara.
Last November, the Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof had again asserted that Sabah and Sarawak will receive the 35 percent of Dewan Rakyat seats, but it will do so only after GE16 has concluded.
Today ( February 5) however, Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said has said that top legal officials of the federal, Sabah, and Sarawak governments will hold discussions to review the legitimacy of the demand for Sabah and Sarawak to be allocated one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
She also said that the Attorney General's Chamber had not received any official proposal for Sabah and Sarawak to be given any additional Dewan Negara seats either.
The fact that Azalina is saying that the matter of Sabah and Sarawak being given one third or around 35 percent of the Dewan Rakyat seat is “to be discussed” when in November, Fadillah had indicated that the matter had been agreed upon, with Sabah and Sarawak to receive the additional 10 percent of seats to make their tally 35 percent after GE 16, now raises the question as to whether Sabah and Sarawak will receive one third of the parliaments seats that it was promised at all.
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