By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 14: Sabah and Sarawak would need a combined 74 parliamentary seats to account for one-third of the current 222-seat Dewan Rakyat, based on the representation principle associated with the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said Sarawak and Sabah currently held 56 parliamentary seats, representing about 25 per cent of the total.
“When Malaysia was formed in 1963, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore together held approximately one-third of the seats in Parliament. Today, Sarawak and Sabah hold 56 of the 222 seats, which is about 25 per cent.
“Based on the current total of 222 parliamentary seats, one-third would amount to 74 seats,” she said in response to questions from Bukit Assek assemblyman Chieng Jin Ek during the question-and-answer session at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUNS) sitting today.
At the formation of Malaysia, Parliament comprised 159 seats, with Malaya holding 104, Sarawak 24, Sabah 16 and Singapore 15.
Together, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore held 55 seats, accounting for approximately one-third of the total.
Following Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, the combined representation of Sarawak and Sabah was not adjusted to maintain the original one-third proportion. Sarawak currently holds 31 parliamentary seats, while Sabah has 25.
Sharifah Hasidah said the one-third representation principle was significant not only in terms of the number of parliamentary seats but also in the context of constitutional safeguards and the balance of the Federation.
She noted that amendments to the Federal Constitution generally require the support of at least two-thirds of the total number of members of Parliament (MPs).
“With 222 seats in Parliament currently, a two-thirds majority is 148 MPs.
“Historically, Malaya’s 104 seats in the 159-member Parliament in 1963 fell short of the 106 votes required for a two-thirds majority,” she said.
Under the current composition, Peninsular Malaysia’s 166 parliamentary seats are sufficient to meet the 148-seat threshold without the support of MPs from Sabah and Sarawak.
She said this underscored why the issue of one-third representation was not merely about increasing the number of MPs, but also about maintaining the constitutional balance between the regions within the Federation.
Sharifah Hasidah said the federal government’s agreement in principle to increase Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary representation was an important first step, although the formula and number of additional seats had yet to be determined.
She said further discussions involving the Federal Government and the Sarawak and Sabah governments would be needed to reach an agreement on the formula and allocation of additional seats.
The proposal would require an amendment to the Federal Constitution, which must secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament, before the Election Commission (EC) could undertake the subsequent parliamentary constituency delimitation exercise.
The next steps include finalising the proposed formula and number of seats, preparing a Constitution (Amendment) Bill for Parliament’s approval, and conducting the necessary delimitation exercise.
Sharifah Hasidah said the Sarawak government maintained that the proportion of parliamentary representation for Sarawak and Sabah should be restored in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). — DayakDaily
