PETALING JAYA: DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng has backed calls for the restoration of 35% of the 222 parliamentary seats to Sabah and Sarawak, urging for this to be implemented “immediately”.
Lim said law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar disappointed many in stating that this proposal would not be able to be implemented before the next general election (GE15).
However, he said the government could table a constitutional amendment to enshrine this 35% quota in the Federal Constitution, expressing confidence that all MPs will support such a bill.
“Pakatan Harapan will support such constitutional amendments by ensuring its passage with the required two-thirds majority,” he said in a statement.
“This is similar to PH’s support for the constitutional amendment to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status as regions equal to Peninsular Malaysia, as outlined in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between PH and the prime minister.”
Previously, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) special council endorsed restoring 35% of parliamentary seats to Sabah and Sarawak. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the matter will be discussed by the government.
Yesterday, Wan Junaidi was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying the proposal cannot be implemented by GE15 as the Cabinet papers were still being prepared.
He said Putrajaya needed to consult the Sabah and Sarawak governments as well as the Election Commission (EC) on the proposed number of seats to increase to each state.
However, a veteran East Malaysian activist has disagreed with the proposal, saying it “goes against the principles of democracy” as the two Bornean states only made up 20% of the country’s population.
Peter John Jaban called instead for the Dewan Negara to undergo total restructuring to allow Sabah and Sarawak to veto constitutional amendments and other legislative actions which may adversely affect the interests of their people.
