Leaders want Borneo to get 35% of parliamentary seats
KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s pledge to boost Borneo representation in Parliament has drawn cautious optimism in Sabah.
Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the Federal Government must clarify whether it intends to restore the 35% parliamentary safeguard originally shared with Singapore before its departure from the federation.
“We should go back to the original ratio of 35%. Singapore was part of the Sabah and Sarawak equation in the federation.
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“It was a constitutional safeguard clearly stated in paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Inter-Governmental Committee Report,” he said.
When Singapore left in 1965, the 15 seats were not reallocated to the Borneo states, and subsequent constituency redelineations over the decades saw Sabah and Sarawak’s combined share drop to about 25%, while Peninsular Malaysia’s share grew to nearly 75%.
Kota Kinabalu MP Datuk Chan Foon Hin said that the move goes hand in hand with the spirit of restoring balance to the power-sharing arrangement of the Malaysian Federation.
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When Malaysia was formed in 1963, Malaya held 104 out of 159 parliamentary seats, while Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore collectively held 55 seats. This meant that Malaya alone did not command the two-thirds majority required for major constitutional amendments, he said.
That historical arrangement provided an important constitutional safeguard, he said.
While circumstances have changed since Singapore left Malaysia, he believed the principle behind that safeguard remains relevant today.
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“This is particularly important in the present political environment.
“Malaysian politics is becoming increasingly polarised along racial, religious and regional lines. We cannot rule out a future political scenario where a coalition overwhelmingly dominant in Peninsular Malaysia could obtain a two-thirds majority in Parliament,” said the Sabah DAP vice-chairman.
He said Sabah and Sarawak need sufficient parliamentary representation to serve as an effective constitutional safeguard against any attempt by a temporary political majority to unilaterally alter the fundamental character of our Federation.
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“A stronger Sabah and Sarawak voice in Parliament can help preserve the federal, multicultural and moderate character upon which Malaysia was built.”
Sabah Barisan Nasional’s Kinabatangan MP Datuk Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar said the issue should have been addressed a long time ago.
“Greater parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak is not merely about increasing the number of seats,” he said, explaining the move would allow for more resources and development allocations to reach the people.
“For far too long, our leaders have had to grapple with the challenge of serving parliamentary constituencies that are vast in size, with communities often spread across large and difficult geographical areas.
“Increasing the number of parliamentary seats would help ease this burden and allow elected representatives to serve the people more effectively,” said Naim, whose constituency stretches from central Sabah to the Sulu Sea.
He said that increasing the seats before the 16th General Election would be more meaningful.
