KOTA KINABALU: Sabah opposition Parti Warisan backs the state government’s move to have one-third parliamentary representation reinstated for each Bornean state under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Party president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal told reporters it was important for both Sabah and Sarawak to get back their respective one-third representation as there had been an imbalance in Parliament following the exit of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
“When Singapore left the federation, its seats were not shared equally with Sabah and Sarawak,” he said, adding that since then, the one-third representation for each Bornean state was no longer observed.
ALSO READ: Sabah wants one-third share of parliamentary seats
Shafie also said at a media luncheon here on Wednesday (Oct 2) that Sabah has seen an increase of state seats over the years from 48 seats to 60, and now 73 but its Parliament seats had hardly been reviewed.
Constitutionally, a review should be done every 10 years, he noted.
He said, for example, Perlis in Peninsular Malaysia is smaller than Sabah's Kinabatangan constituency but has three parliamentary constituencies with three MPs; while a huge area like Kinabatangan has only one seat.
Similarly, Lahad Datu has four state constituencies but only one MP and the same applies to Silam, he added.
“So by simple calculation, there are too many constituencies with many voters under one MP,” he said.
It is difficult for these MPs to manage their areas effectively, and even harder to address their constituents' issues effectively if they have many portfolios to handle, he added.
ALSO READ: Give Sabah, S'wak one-third representation each in Dewan Rakyat, says Senator
Shafie said this is why the one-third representation needs to be honoured under MA63.
He said it was time for this issue to be reviewed and for the Election Commission (EC) to manage properly.
He said there was ample time for Parliament to look into this matter, with just over three years before the next General Election has to be called.
On Tuesday (Oct 1), Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said Sabah stood firm alongside Sarawak in its demand for an additional one-third share of Parliament seats.
He said this adjustment was crucial for the state's progress and that the matter had been brought up during the MA63 implementation action council meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Sept 12.
