KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has emphasised that the proposal to amend the one-third or 35% parliamentary seat quota for Sabah and Sarawak requires direct discussions, particularly with members of parliament from Peninsular Malaysia.
He noted that a similar approach was adopted by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, during his tenure as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law), as part of efforts to amend Article 160 of the Federal Constitution.
That amendment was made to incorporate the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the Cobbold Commission Report, and the Inter-Governmental Committee report into the Constitution.
"The demand for a greater share of parliamentary seats is both complex and challenging as it requires not only negotiations at the ministerial and agency levels.
"More importantly, there must be political engagement, specifically, one-on-one discussions with MPs to gain their support and explain the rationale for the amendment. As it stands, MPs from Peninsular Malaysia occupy 75% of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
"This means that any constitutional amendment could theoretically proceed without consultation with Sabah and Sarawak MPs, as they already form a two-thirds majority," he explained during a local dialogue with the community here on Sunday (April 13).
Fadillah said that if consensus cannot be reached within the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Technical Committee, which he chairs, the matter will be escalated to the main MA63 Implementation Action Council Committee for a decision.
This committee involves Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
In November 2024, Fadillah stated that any decision regarding the increase in parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak would only be finalised after the 16th General Election.
The last parliamentary redelineation exercise took place in 2006. Currently, Sabah and Sarawak are represented by 25 and 31 MPs, respectively, accounting for 56 out of 222 Dewan Rakyat seats, or approximately 25%. - Bernama
