Deputy Minister in the Premier's Department Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali addressing the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (Nov 12). - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: The 35% parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak should be restored to ensure fairness, says a deputy minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department.
Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the state government had proposed an increase in parliamentary seats for Sarawak in several meetings with the Federal Government, in line with the original spirit of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report 1962 and Malaysia's formation in 1963.
"The request by Sabah and Sarawak is based on provisions in the IGC Report, which provides safeguards on matters including representation in Parliament.
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"This is important to ensure that none of the three entities in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), namely the Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, can use their power to amend the Federal Constitution on matters which affect the rights of the other entities without their support or consent," she told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly during question time on Tuesday (Nov 12).
In 1963, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore held 55 seats for a combined representation of nearly 35% in Parliament.
After Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, Sarawak and Sabah's combined representation dropped to 25%.
At present, both states' combined parliamentary representation remains at 25% with 56 seats out of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
Sharifah Hasidah said additional parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak would involve amending Article 46 of the Federal Constitution, which provides for the number of elected representatives for each state.
"After that, the Election Commission would have to conduct a detailed study in line with Article 113 for the redelineation of electoral boundaries," she said.
Sharifah Hasidah also said the MA63 implementation action council meeting on Sept 12 was informed that the federal Attorney General's Chambers needed to review the legal aspects of additional seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
She said this would be followed by discussions between the federal, Sabah and Sarawak Attorney General's Chambers on the interpretation of constitutional safeguards for the Bornean states in the Cobbold Commission and IGC reports.
"The Sarawak government remains committed to our request to fulfil the aspirations of Sarawakians for fairer representation in the Dewan Rakyat," she added.
