Kota Kinabalu: Sabah may be eligible for up to 13 additional parliamentary seats based on a proposed ratio to increase Sabah and Sarawak’s representation in the Dewan Rakyat, said Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Masiung Banah.
He said the matter should first be discussed at the State Cabinet level before any formal implementation by the Election Commission (EC), adding that an increase in parliamentary seats could also result in additional State Legislative Assembly seats.
Masiung said adding 13 parliamentary seats would increase Sabah’s representation from the current 25 to 38 seats, while the State currently has 73 State Assembly constituencies and could see an additional 25 to 28 seats.
He said the geographical factors and remote areas in Sabah and Sarawak, particularly the interior, warranted more balanced representation, with additional seats expected to focus on the east coast and interior areas such as Tongod, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Ranau, Beluran, Pensiangan and the Upper Interior.
Masiung, who is Kuamut assemblyman, said the additional representation could allow development allocations to be distributed more specifically, particularly in areas with high poverty rates, adding that the Federal Government had agreed in principle to amend the Constitution to increase Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary representation in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
