THE two Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak may get an additional 25 parliamentary seats to allow them to safeguard their rights enshrined under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said PBB information chief Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman.
He said Sarawak had been negotiating for one-third of the total parliamentary seats to reflect the spirit and understanding when Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya and Singapore to form the Federation of Malaya.
According to reports in Dayak Daily, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu information chief said when Singapore exited the Federation, its 15 seats were taken by Malaya.
This, he said led to the disproportionate representation of Sarawak and Sabah in parliament.
"After 1965, despite a series of delineation exercises, the rights to rightful representation in Parliament were forgotten.
"This was mainly because the two Bornean states were working closely with the parties in Malaysia through the national Barisan Nasional coalition," he said.
He said when the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem became the Sarawak Chief Minister, the demand for rights, including the safeguards began to emerge.
"So now, we are asking for those seats," said the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and Youth and Sports as reported by Dayak Daily.
From the current 222 parliamentary seats, Sabah and Sarawak hold 56 seats, which is 25 per cent of the total.
Sarawak has 31 and Sabah 25 seats.
For the two Bornean states to have one-third representation or 74 seats, the Federal Constitution must be amended.
"For that to happen, a two-thirds majority is needed in Parliament.
"MPs from Peninsular Malaysia must be aware of it. We must make them understand the spirit of MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee report.
Abdul Karim said from the legal aspect, the matter could be brought to court.
"That should be a last resort. The request for additional 25 seats should not be an issue if the MPs in Peninsular Malaysia understand the historical background," he added. - May 27, 2025
