KUALA LUMPUR: Plans are underway to increase the number of parliamentary seats in Sarawak as soon as possible, says government spokesperson Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the Cabinet had discussed the matter at its latest meeting, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim calling for the process to be expedited.
Sarawak leaders previously pushed to increase parliamentary seats ahead of the state election, due by February next year.
“At the most recent Cabinet meeting, this matter was raised, and the Prime Minister asked the Election Commission (EC) to prepare an updated report so we can implement it,” he told reporters after launching the “Ekspresi Jalur Gemilang” campaign in Pantai Dalam yesterday.
Sarawak currently has 31 parliamentary seats, while Sabah has 25, out of a total of 222 seats nationwide.
On Aug 6, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secretary-general Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the coming Sarawak state election should include the 17 new state seats proposed in the EC’s redelineation exercise.
With the new seats, he said Sarawak’s state seats would be increased from 82 to 99.
“This 99 seats will then be the basis for increasing the number of parliamentary constituencies in the coming years,” he added.
With one-third representation in Parliament, any constitutional amendment or new law affecting the interests of Sabah and Sarawak cannot be approved without the support of both states.
On the Melaka state election, Fahmi said Pakatan Harapan was open to offers to cooperate with Barisan Nasional.
“Since we do not yet know when the state legislative assembly will be dissolved or when the election and campaign period will take place, party-level preparations involve identifying candidates, identifying seats and holding discussions with all parties, including our partners from Barisan,” he said.
“Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh has expressed his openness to discussions with any party. We welcome that.
“The Melaka PKR chairman Adam Adli has also informed us that he has held several discussions.
“We also welcome the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi regarding Barisan’s openness to discussions – not only concerning Melaka but also federal-level seats,” Fahmi added.
