By Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 23: Talks between the federal and Sarawak governments on the upcoming constituency re-delineation exercise are still ongoing, with no final decision made yet on the process or the number of additional seats to be allocated.
Deputy Minister of Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and State-Federal Relations Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali emphasised that the Sarawak government remains steadfast in its demand to restore one-third representation for Sarawak and Sabah in the Dewan Rakyat, as originally stipulated under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report of 1962.
“I wish to inform that no final decision has been reached at this stage regarding the constituency re-delineation exercise, as discussions with the federal government are still ongoing.
“With regard to the demand for additional parliamentary and state constituencies, these discussions are also still in progress, and the exact number of additional seats has yet to be finalised,” she explained.
Sharifah Hasidah said this in a written reply to Bawang Assan assemblyman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who had asked when the re-delineation exercise would be completed and how many additional seats would be allocated for Parliament and the Sarawak Assembly.
She affirmed that discussions to strengthen Sarawak’s representation in the Dewan Rakyat remain active under the MA63 framework, and reiterated the State government’s commitment to continue pursuing this matter. — DayakDaily
