KUCHING: Sarawak will continue pressing for 35 per cent parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak, viewing it as a crucial safeguard against constitutional amendments being made unilaterally without the involvement of the two Borneo states.
Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the issue remains one of the most important unresolved matters under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“The most important is, of course, representation in Parliament — the 35 per cent representation. This is a very difficult one and we have not achieved it yet,” she said in an exclusive interview with Sarawak Tribune.
Sharifah Hasidah said Sarawak has raised the issue repeatedly in its negotiations with Putrajaya as the state considers the representation to be consistent with the spirit behind the formation of Malaysia.
She explained that when Singapore left Malaysia, the parliamentary seats previously allocated to Singapore should have been redistributed to Sabah and Sarawak to maintain the 35 per cent composition.
Instead, she said the seats went to Malaya, leaving Sabah and Sarawak with only about 25 per cent representation.
“This is not good because it means Peninsular Malaysia has sufficient seats to amend the Constitution without necessarily consulting us if it has a two-thirds majority on its own. What we want is 35 per cent so that they do not have the two-thirds majority required to simply amend the Constitution unilaterally,” she said.
Sharifah Hasidah stressed that the key concern was preventing unilateral amendments, particularly on constitutional provisions affecting Sarawak’s rights.
“We do not want the Constitution to be amended unilaterally, especially in relation to the rights of our state. If Sabah and Sarawak have 35 per cent, then they have to consult and discuss with us,” she said.
Sharifah Hasidah acknowledged that no decision has been reached on the demand.
“There is no decision on this yet, so we will continue to fight for it,” she added.
