KUCHING: The proposed increase in Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary representation could restore a stronger constitutional balance in the Federation, with the eventual ratio emerging as the key issue.
Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman, Chief Political Secretary to the Premier, said the development was significant as it went beyond adding parliamentary seats, with the Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim also acknowledging the need to increase the proportion of representation for Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the move brought the country closer to the original spirit of Malaysia’s formation in 1963, when Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore collectively held more than one third of parliamentary seats.
“Malaysia was not conceived purely on the basis of population. There also had to be constitutional safeguards for the territories coming together to form the new Federation,” he told Sarawak Tribune today.
Fazzrudin said the one third benchmark for Sabah and Sarawak collectively deserved serious consideration, as the objective should be to establish an effective constitutional safeguard rather than simply increase the number of MPs.
“We should not start by arguing over two seats here or three seats there. Establish the constitutional principle first; the mathematics can follow.”
He said the agreement in principle must now be translated into a clear framework covering the representation ratio, constitutional amendments, distribution of seats between Sabah and Sarawak and implementation timeline.
He said implementation before the next general election was possible but would require political will and urgency.
He said amendments to Article 46 of the Federal Constitution would be required to change the composition of the Dewan Rakyat, followed by the Election Commission’s work on constituency review and delimitation under Article 113 and the Thirteenth Schedule.
“These are processes provided for by the Constitution itself. They are not insurmountable if sufficient political consensus exists.”
He said the biggest risk was failure to reach agreement on the actual formula, including the percentage of representation, total number of seats, allocation between Sabah and Sarawak and constituency boundaries.
He stressed that the issue should be approached as a constitutional matter rather than through the lens of short term electoral advantage.
“Governments will change, political alliances may change and leaders will change. The constitutional relationship between Sabah, Sarawak and the Federation must endure much longer.”
Fazzrudin said stronger representation would ensure Sabah and Sarawak’s constitutional interests and the implementation of MA63 received greater weight in national decision making.
He said the development should ultimately strengthen the Federation rather than be viewed as Sabah and Sarawak taking representation away from Peninsular Malaysia.
“When Sabah and Sarawak are respected and confident within the Federation, Malaysia as a whole becomes stronger.”
