MA63 council endorses restoring 35pct of Parliament seats to East Malaysia

 

A meeting of the Special Council on the Malaysia Agreement yesterday endorsed restoring 35 percent of the 222 parliamentary seats for East Malaysia.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Maximus Ongkili said the issue was deliberated and endorsed at the fifth meeting of the special council chaired by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in Putrajaya.

“However, more engagements are required pertaining to the issue, especially among serving Borneo legislators and legal practitioners,” he said in a statement last night.

Of the 222 parliamentary seats, 166 or 75 percent are in Peninsular Malaysia while the remaining 25 percent or 56 seats are for the Borneo states, with Sarawak (31 seats) and Sabah (25).

With this endorsement by the council, Sabah and Sarawak will be able to push for 78 of the 222 parliamentary seats.

Ongkili (above) said lawmakers from Sabah and Sarawak have demanded a review of the number of parliamentary seats for both states.

He said: “In 1963, Sabah had 16 seats, Sarawak (24) and Singapore (15), representing 35 percent from the overall 159 parliamentary seats, while the remaining 65 percent or 104 seats were Malaya’s.

“Malaya does not possess the two-thirds majority alone. So when Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, the seats belonging to Singapore should be given to Sabah and Sarawak, to meet the 35 percent representation," he said, adding that the proposed restoration of seats had been endorsed by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee in 2012.

The Kota Marudu MP added that the ultimate task is to convince the Election Commission, but he stressed that the issue should be pushed because it is another restoration in accordance with the MA63.

Better healthcare

On another matter, the statement also mentioned that Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had briefed the MA63 Special Council that efforts are ongoing to beef up health services in Sabah and Sarawak.

The council - which included Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, senior federal and state ministers as well as officials - was informed that both Sabah and Sarawak can expect additional doctors and nurses soon, as well as other medical facilities.

"Also in the pipeline are plans to repair dilapidated hospitals and clinics in both states, and to ensure there are sufficient numbers of specialists at all healthcare outlets," the statement read.

- Bernama