KUCHING: The endorsement of the Special Council on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MKMA63) to restore 35 per cent parliamentary seats from East Malaysia ratio is a good move towards restoration of a balance in the legislature.
Political scientist Professor Datuk Dr Jayum Jawan of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) said this would ensure critical constitutional amendment could not be done by one party or one side alone.
However, he told New Sarawak Tribune that it was important to note this had yet to materialise until it was passed in Parliament and acceded to by Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Jayum, who is also Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) Fellow, opined that the news came amidst an accommodating Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob whose Keluarga Malaysia (official theme) might be re-colouring the Malaysian scene as it should be.
“But (if) this really happens, it is also due to the new political norm, where there is no dominant party emerging after the 14th General Election (GE14) since 2018,” he said.
“It is good as any one party that wants to form a government needs to reach across many divides to form a majority,” he added.
Jayum said in fact, the request from the two states to increase their parliamentary seats was nothing new; thus, it would by the goodwill of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to honour the long established privileges accorded Sabah and Sarawak as prizes for their roles in forming Malaysia.
On Thursday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili in a statement said the matter was deliberated during the fifth MKMA63 meeting held in Putrajaya and chaired by Ismail Sabri.
In 1963, Sabah had 16 seats, Sarawak 24 and Singapore 15, representing 35 per cent of the overall 159 parliamentary seats, while the remaining 65 per cent or 104 seats belonged to Malaya.
He stressed that Malaya did not possess the two-third majority alone. “So when Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, the seats belonging to Singapore should have been given to Sabah and Sarawak to meet the 35 per cent representation,” Ongkilili said.
Based on the current composition, from the 222 parliamentary seats, 166 or 75 per cent are in Peninsular Malaysia while the remaining 25 per cent or 56 seats are for the Borneo states, with Sarawak having 31 and Sabah 25.
