By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 28: The allocation of one-third of parliamentary seats for Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore during Malaysia’s formation in 1963 was a safeguard against Malaya dominance, and not all of these protections are spelled out in the Federal Constitution, says Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He was responding to former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Harun, who recently claimed that 35 per cent of parliamentary seats were not part of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report or Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), but were instead political directives.
“When Malaysia was formed, Malaya was already very advanced compared to the other regions.
“If you look at the numbers, two-thirds of parliamentary seats were given to Malaya while one-third was reserved for Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. These were safeguards to ensure our rights are protected,” he said during a press conference after officiating the 3rd YSD Malaysian Super Women Series 2025 at Borneo Cricket Ground here today.
He explained that safeguards were necessary as constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
With the one-third share, Sabah and Sarawak together with Singapore then had the ability to prevent unilateral amendments that could affect their rights and autonomy.
“Why should we join if we do not get something back? Our forefathers fought for safeguards on immigration, natural resources and regional autonomy.
“If the two-thirds–one-third formula is not maintained, all these rights could easily be taken away by West Malaysian MPs through constitutional amendments,” he emphasised.
Abdul Karim pointed out that the composition was further altered after Singapore’s exit from Malaysia in 1965, when its 15 parliamentary seats were absorbed by Malaya, increasing the imbalance.
He also took aim at Azhar’s interpretation, noting that while Azhar is a lawyer, he had not gone into deeper research on the historical agreements and conventions leading to Malaysia’s formation.
“You put 10 lawyers in one room, you will have 10 different opinions. I am also a lawyer, but my research must be corroborated with those from professors and law lecturers who have studied why Malaysia was formed and the safeguards that were agreed upon,” he said.
Abdul Karim stressed that not all safeguards are spelled out in the Constitution, with many found in minutes of meetings and conventions during negotiations.
“That word is very important—safeguard. This is why we keep insisting that the one-third and two-thirds formula must be preserved, because it is the only way to ensure the rights of Sarawak and Sabah remain protected,” he added. – DayakDaily
