KUCHING: Kota Sentosa Assemblyman, Wilfred Yap Sau Sin, has strongly rebutted remarks by former Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, who recently dismissed calls for Sabah and Sarawak to hold 35 per cent of parliamentary seats as “mere political narrative”.
Yap stressed that such statements undermine the very foundations of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and ignore the deliberate safeguards put in place when Malaysia was formed.
“When Malaysia was formed in 1963, representation was deliberately structured to protect Sarawak and Sabah,” he said in a media statement.
Additionally, he stated that, at the time, out of 159 seats in Parliament, Malaya held 104, while Singapore (15), Sarawak (24), and Sabah (16) collectively made up 35 per cent.
“This was no accident; it was a safeguard to ensure Malaya could not unilaterally amend the Constitution,” Yap explained.
He said that the balance collapsed in 1965 when Singapore left Malaysia, and its 15 seats were absorbed by Malaya without consultation or renegotiation with Sarawak and Sabah.
“Since then, subsequent redelineations have steadily eroded Borneo’s share of representation from 24 out of 159 seats (15.1 per cent) in 1963 to just 31 out of 222 (13.9 per cent) today.
“Combined, Sarawak and Sabah now hold only about 25 per cent of seats, far short of the intended one-third.
“To argue there is no entitlement because the words ‘35 per cent’ are not explicitly written into the Constitution is to play with semantics,” Yap countered.
He further stated that the safeguard was embedded in the Malaysia Agreement 1963, an international treaty registered at the United Nations.
“Sarawak did not enter Malaysia as a junior partner. Sarawak and Sabah came in as equals, with constitutional and treaty guarantees,” Yap stressed.
Yap also drew parallels with Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue entitlement, which is explicitly written into the Constitution yet has been ignored for decades.
“If rights written in black and white can be ignored, how much easier it is to deny those embedded in structural safeguards like representation,” he reiterated.
According to Yap, dismissing Sarawak’s demands for fairness as mere politics is not only misleading but also cheapens the spirit of federalism.
“Across federations worldwide, mechanisms exist to preserve balance between regions. Malaysia should be no different,” he said.
“Restoring one-third representation is not a privilege; it is about integrity, justice, correction, and the return of trust.”
Yap called on Sarawakians to unite in defending their rights.
“This is about the promises made at the birth of Malaysia,” he said.
“We must continue to fight with facts, with history, and with conviction to ensure Sarawak’s rightful place is restored, that our voice is never silenced, and that future generations inherit a Malaysia built on fairness, not dominance by Malaya.”
