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Sarawak and Sabah may receive an additional 25 parliamentary seats to restore the one-third representation they were promised under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said PBB information chief Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He noted that the original understanding during the formation of Malaysia was for the Bornean states to hold one-third of the total parliamentary seats as a safeguard of their rights, the DayakDaily reported.

However, following Singapore’s exit in 1965, its 15 seats were absorbed by Malaya, reducing Sabah and Sarawak’s share.

Currently, the two states hold 56 out of 222 seats or 25 percent. To reach one-third representation (74 seats), a constitutional amendment and two-thirds majority in Parliament would be required.

Abdul Karim stressed the need to educate Peninsular MPs on MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee Report. While legal action is an option, he said it should be a last resort.

He added that redelineation may impact his Asajaya constituency positively due to new infrastructure developments.