By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 13: Sarawak and Sabah need at least 74 seats or more in Parliament to veto any constitutional rights that may be detrimental to the Bornean states, says Batu Kitang assemblyman Dato Lo Khere Chiang.
He said the creation of 74 new seats will realise both States’ demand to have 35 per cent parliamentary seats, in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Currently, Sabah and Sarawak hold only 56 seats, or less than one third of the total 222 parliamentary seats,” he said when debating in support of the Supply (2025) Bill, 2024 during the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting today.
He said while discussions on increasing Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary representation began in 2022 and 2023, no decisive actions have followed.
“The Deputy Prime Minister suggests it may take two to three years to resolve, but progress has been excruciatingly slow. Action is needed, not just promises—this is urgent,” he added.
At the same time, Lo took a jab at Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen for failing to acknowledge the increase in Sarawak’s reserves from RM31 billion to RM40 billion, even as Malaysia’s national debt rose to RM1.3 trillion.
Earlier, Chong during his debate speech, raised questions regarding the ‘Alternative Funding’ scheme under the proposed Sarawak Budget 2025, suggesting it could add an additional RM7.458 billion in spending on top of the budget. — DayakDaily
