KUCHING: Sarawak is ready to negotiate with the federal government for the state and Sabah to have one-third parliamentary representation, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
The Sarawak Premier welcomed Putrajaya's agreement in principle to expand the number of parliamentary seats for both states.
He also said any increase in the number of parliamentary seats was a matter for the Federal Government.
"We'll see how it goes. If they call us, we will negotiate; otherwise, we will wait," he told reporters after launching the Development Bank of Sarawak's integrity day here on Monday (Nov 17).
On Sunday (Nov 16), Anwar said that there was no commitment to one-third representation for Sabah and Sarawak, although a policy to increase seats for both states had been agreed upon in principle.
He said the federal, Sarawak and Sabah Attorneys General had been instructed to study the proposed increase, adding that the Election Commission would ultimately determine the number of additional seats.
Sarawak and Sabah are seeking to restore their parliamentary representation to one-third, as envisioned in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
When Singapore left the federation in 1965, its 15 seats were redistributed to Peninsular Malaysia, leaving the Borneo states with less than one-third.
Sarawak currently has 31 seats and Sabah 25 out of the total 222 seats.
