KOTA KINABALU: The Federal government must fully support the principle of reinstating the 35% representation in Parliament for Sabah and Sarawak, says Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) vice youth chief Yong Yit Jee.
He said they a motion should be tabled in Parliament for approval to ensure there is no future dilution of seats for the country's two regions that are part of Malaysia.
Yong said only agreeing an increase together with number of seats for the Peninsula would not restore the 35% Parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an in-principle seat increase. Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun later said the EC would review constituencies nationwide and that Sabah and Sarawak's ratio would rise.
"Neither statement committed the Federal government to the 35%. More seats do not necessarily mean 35%," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 15).
As such, Yong said the Prime Minister should make clear if the government supports a guaranteed 35% combined parliamentary share for Sabah and Sarawak.
Currently, Sabah and Sarawak hold 56 of 222 Dewan Rakyat seats, or approximately 25.2%.
"If Peninsular seats also increase, Borneo's share could barely change. The final percentage, not raw additions, must be the test," he said.
Yong noted that at Malaysia's formation, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore held 55 of 159 seats, or 34.6%, leaving the Peninsula with less than two-thirds. (Singapore left the federation in 1963)
"Increase and restoration are not interchangeable. 35% concerns constitutional balance, not political positions.
"The EC draws boundaries; Cabinet and Parliament must set the constitutional objective," he said, adding that the federal government must commit to support 35%.
"The PM should table a Government motion affirming 35% and preventing future dilution. Let every MP record a vote. After the EC study, table the constitutional amendment giving it legal effect," he said.
