KUCHING: The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has strongly criticised a peninsula Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader for rejecting the proposal to increase the number of parliamentary seats for Sarawak and Sabah in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
SUPP Batu Kitang Branch Secretary Amy Tnay said the stance taken by the DAP leadership undermines the equal partnership status of Sarawak and Sabah within Malaysia.
She warned that opposing additional seats would weaken the political influence of the two Bornean states and allow more West Malaysian political parties to dominate parliamentary representation.
“We are surprised by the statement from DAP’s National Political Education Executive Secretary, Teih Jian Peng who argued that any increase in parliamentary seats should be based on voter population rather than political decisions,” Tnay said in a press statement today.
“Increasing parliamentary seats has never been about political factors; it is about fulfilling and restoring the historical equal partnership status of Sarawak, Sabah, and Peninsular Malaysia as agreed upon when Malaysia was formed.”she said.
Tnay described Teih’s comments as “narrow-minded thinking” that attempts to deny historical facts and Malaysia’s founding history.
She also expressed concern that DAP parliamentarians from Sarawak and Sabah who share this view might not prioritise the rights and interests of their states.
“If they blindly follow the directives of West Malaysian leaders, it will undoubtedly weaken the voice and ability of Sarawak and Sabah to defend their rights in parliament,” she said.
According to Tnay, Sarawak currently holds 31 parliamentary seats, of which six are represented by West Malaysian political parties, leaving only 25 Sarawak-based representatives out of 222 parliamentarians nationwide.
She stressed that this significant disparity makes it difficult for Sarawak to oppose any federal bills that could harm or undermine the state’s rights.
She called on DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen to clarify whether he supports Sarawak and Sabah’s push for two-thirds of parliamentary seats in line with MA63 or agree with Teih’s population-based allocation stance.
“The Sarawak United People’s Party strongly supports and endorses the stance of the Sarawak Head of State and other Sarawak Alliance leaders in advocating for Sarawak and Sabah to secure two-thirds of parliamentary seats,” Tnay added.
“This is not about Sarawak being unreasonable or greedy for more seats but about upholding the rights granted under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.”
Tnay also questioned why the federal government does not apply the same population-based standards when allocating resources or collecting revenue, calling the system unfair and unjust.
