KOTA KINABALU: An increase of 15 senators each for Sabah and Sarawak in the Dewan Negara is more viable than the proposed 35% representation for both states in Parliament, says an institutional reform advocate.
Project for Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) proposed the matter on the eve of the 61st celebration of Malaysia Day, saying the extra seats in the House of Senate would ensure a one-third veto power for the East Malaysian states.
Projek Sama said this would block any unilateral constitutional amendments by the West Malaysian states and territories.
It said that, as per Article 45 of the Federal Constitution, the Senate currently has 70 members, with two members each elected by the legislatures of Sabah and Sarawak and another federally appointed member representing the Federal Territory of Labuan, amounting to a mere 4.29%.
“Additional 30 senators from Sabah and Sarawak would immediately give East Malaysia (including Labuan) a total of 35 seats in an expanded Senate with 100 members, exactly 35%, hereafter the ‘Dewan Negara 35/100’ proposal,” said Projek Sama, in a statement on Sunday (Sept 15).
“We call upon all parties supportive of constitutional veto power by East Malaysia to support this proposal and the amendment of Article 45 so that this goal can be attained in the next parliamentary session that starts on Oct 14.
“When Parliament convenes again in next March, the veto power is already a reality,” it said.
Projek Sama said the Dewan Negara 35/100 proposal has three advantages over the complicated yet ambiguous demand for 35% representation for both states in the Dewan Rakyat.
Firstly, this can be done with simply amending Article 45, without any complication, it said.
“As the Madani Government now commands a two-thirds majority, it can carry it through without obstacles.
“Likewise, Perikatan Nasional (PN) will support it unless they oppose the fundamental idea of having an East Malaysian veto bloc,” the organisation said, adding more detailed reform on the Senate can follow after this formula was passed.
In contrast, Projek Sama said the 35% Dewan Rakyat representation demand may not be realised in time for the 16th General Election, which must be held by February 2028 at the latest.
It also needed three stages: negotiation between government parties on the total and allocation of seats for all states; the amendment of Article 46, which may be prolonged; and constituency delimitation, which may take two years.
“Since no normal constitutional amendments can be passed without a two-thirds support in either Dewan Negara or Dewan Rakyat, it would make more sense for East Malaysians to secure their veto power early through this straightforward Dewan Negara 35/100 proposal,” it said.
Projek Sama said the Dewan Rakyat's 35% demand would also lead to a bloated parliament.
“Its proponents have not presented a specific plan on how this 35% representation may be achieved, promising polemics.
“Safe to say, it is impossible for West Malaysian MPs to agree to take away 21 seats from West Malaysia to be given to East Malaysia, or even increasing seats only in East Malaysia when many West Malaysian constituencies were exceeding 200,000 voters.
“If an equal number of seats is added to both East and West Malaysia as a compromise, then Dewan Rakyat would be bloated with a total of 360 seats,” it said.
Thirdly, Projek Sama said that the Dewan Negara 35/100 proposal would confirm the veto power of Sarawak, Sabah, and Labuan.
According to the organisation, this would be an enhancement compared to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which did not promise veto power for Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore.
“The Dewan Negara 35/100 proposal would be a firm manifestation of Sabah and Sarawak as special regions within the Federation of Malaysia in line with the democratic norm,” Projek Sama said.
