KOTA KINABALU: A push to increase Sabah and Sarawak's parliamentary seats should not have to wait until next year for technical committee deliberations, says Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak) wants preliminary discussions expedited, with findings subsequently presented to the technical committee overseeing the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
"I want to fast-track this. I want this matter to be expedited," he told reporters after officiating the Aku Kasih Malaysia programme in Sepanggar on Saturday (Oct 10).
Mustapha said he had held an initial discussion with the Election Commission (EC) and would next engage the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) to arrange an early meeting.
He proposed bringing together the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS), BHEUU, the EC and representatives of both state governments to work out the way forward.
He said he would seek the technical committee's agreement to proceed with preliminary discussions without waiting for its next meeting, which he indicated would be next year.
"We will hold preliminary discussions first and then report to the technical committee. Otherwise, we would be waiting a long time for it to meet," he said.
Asked whether the additional seats could be in place before the coming general election, Mustapha said he hoped to achieve this but acknowledged that the process would take time.
"If it were up to me, I would want it to be ready in time. But the process is lengthy," he said.
He said studies and surveys were needed, while the EC was also occupied with preparations for the Melaka state election.
Mustapha said efforts would continue to find a suitable window to advance the proposal, adding that if it could not be implemented for the coming general election, he believed it could be ready for the subsequent general election.
He also outlined his ambition to divide his Sepanggar parliamentary constituency into two.
"My target, particularly for Sepanggar, is to split it into two," he said.
On Oct 5, Mustapha proposed establishing a special committee under the MA63 Implementation Action Council's technical committee to examine the mechanism for increasing Sabah and Sarawak's parliamentary representation.
He proposed that it be jointly chaired by him and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The proposed increase seeks to raise Sabah and Sarawak's combined representation in the Dewan Rakyat to 35%, strengthening their voice in federal lawmaking and safeguarding their interests as partners in the formation of Malaysia.
