The Federal Government has agreed in principle to increase the parliamentary representation of Sabah and Sarawak to 35%, taking into account the need to raise the proportion of seats held by both states from their current levels.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the agreement was reached during a Cabinet meeting, following an announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Sept 11.
However, she stressed that the proposal would require further examination, taking into consideration the spirit and demands of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), as well as matters previously agreed upon between the Federal Government and the Sabah and Sarawak governments.
Azalina said the matter had been brought to the attention of the Election Commission (EC) to begin the consultation process, although its implementation would remain subject to the relevant constitutional procedures.
She explained that determining the composition and number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat falls under Parliament’s jurisdiction through an amendment to Article 46 of the Federal Constitution.
The EC has been given two years to complete its review, starting from the publication of the notice specified under Section 4 of the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
The commission must then submit its final report to the Prime Minister, as provided for under Clause 10 of Article 113 of the Federal Constitution.
Azalina was responding to a written parliamentary question from Datuk Verdon Bahanda (Independent-Kudat), who asked about the government’s plans to increase Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary representation to at least 35%, or one-third, of all Dewan Rakyat seats.
The question also sought clarification on proposed legal amendments and the timeline for implementing the increase.
