Unite to demand one-third Dewan seats, Sabah and Sarawak MPs told

Sabah and Sarawak MPs only occupy 56 of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Two academics have urged parties in the peninsula to support the call to ensure that a third of parliamentary seats are in Sabah and Sarawak.

Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir and Universiti Malaysia Sabah lecturer Lee Kuok Tiung said the two territories had the right to a strong voice in Parliament.

Sabah and Sarawak MPs currently occupy 56 of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

At the formation of Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore together accounted for one-third of Dewan Rakyat seats. After Singapore left the federation in 1965, the number of seats for Sabah and Sarawak were not increased while seats in Peninsular Malaysia have kept increasing over the years.

Jeniri Amir.

In the past several years, there have been calls for a correction of the situation from NGOs, MPs and political leaders such as former Sabah chief minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Jeniri told FMT it would take political will from both Putrajaya and dominant political parties such as Umno to make this happen.

“Putrajaya has been trying to delay it and we’re not likely to see it realised in the next five years,” he said.

He also said a formal alliance between political parties in Sabah and Sarawak to fight for it would not be possible due to differences in political ideologies and culture.

“But Sabah and Sarawak MPs can band together with the common objective of applying more pressure on Putrajaya to gain more parliamentary seats for the states,” he said.

Lee Kuok Tiung.

“It should be a priority for them to change the weightage of seats for East Malaysia as it will have far-reaching implications and repercussions in terms of politics and policies.”

Lee said MPs from the peninsula, with their more than two-thirds of parliamentary seats, currently had power over the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.

“The one-third request means that at least Sabah and Sarawak will have a voice to oppose any legislation or policy that is not beneficial or is detrimental to them,” he said.

He agreed with Jeniri that Sabahan and Sarawakian MPs should stand together in supporting the demand for more seats.

“This is on the basis of stopping the bullying or usurpation of Sabah and Sarawak rights,” he said.- FMT