KUCHING: The federal government must respect the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) by immediately tabling the proposal for 17 additional parliamentary seats for Sarawak in Parliament without further delay.
Batu Kitang assemblyman, Datuk Lo Khere Chiang, stressed that the creation of these new seats is the sole prerogative of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN), which stands as the highest law-making body in the state.
Therefore, he argued that the federal government has no jurisdiction to decide whether to agree or disagree with the move, but is instead duty-bound to facilitate and table the state’s decision.
“When we make a decision, it is not for the federal government to decide whether they agree or not. Their responsibility is simply to table it in Parliament,” Lo said during a press conference following the Jalan Arang Community Dialogue today.
Aligning his views with statements previously made by Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Lo said that true respect for MA63 requires concrete action rather than political rhetoric.
He pointed out a historical imbalance in parliamentary representation, noting that under the original MA63 framework, parliamentary seats were divided evenly into three blocks: one-third for Malaya, one-third for Sarawak and Sabah, and one-third for Singapore.
“When Singapore left Malaysia, that one-third representation should have been redistributed accordingly between the remaining partners. Instead, Malaya took everything,” he explained.
Lo clarified that Sarawak is not demanding extra privileges, but is merely asking for the fulfilment of rights already enshrined in the Federation’s founding documents.
“We only want what is already stated under MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.
“MA63 itself is only about three pages long, but it must be read together with the IGC Report where everything is clearly stated,” he said.
He reminded the federal leadership that the nation’s forefathers deliberately insisted on a one-third veto block for the Borneo states to protect their unique demographic, cultural and social landscapes, given that any constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Expressing his frustration over unfulfilled political promises, Lo criticised Peninsular Malaysian politicians who routinely pledge to honour MA63 during election campaigns, only to backtrack once in power.
“Every election they say they will respect and honour MA63. But after the election, we hear excuses like ‘a manifesto is not a Bible’.
“It is very disappointing, and that is why Sarawakians are disappointed. We just want to be treated fairly,” Lo added.
