KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii urged for the ‘agreed’ 35 per cent of parliamentary seats for Sabah Sarawak to implemented as soon as possible and hoped the announcement is not merely an election rhetoric.
He said when it is promised and endorsed by the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) committee, the additional parliamentary seat allocations to both Sabah and Sarawak were part of the safeguards in MA63 to ensure that the Federal Constitution is not simply amended at the expense of the interest of Sarawakians or Sabahans.
“Such safeguards were in place until Singapore exited Malaysia, thus it is only right that such safeguards be restored to both these Borneo regions.
“Many may not fully understand that this is not an argument about population or even the size of GDP, but rights and safeguards agreed upon during the formation of Malaysia which were eroded during the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government,” he said in a press statement yesterday (Sept 9).
He said the new constituencies must be crafted out from more populous constituencies, mainly in the urban areas, not the less populated ones in the rural areas.
“As a result of large differences in constituency size, the value of votes is not equal across constituencies.
“For example, my constituency of Bandar Kuching has more than 130,000 voters, and yet they only vote in one elected representative while a constituency such as Batang Sadong 23,000 also elects a single representative. That means a vote is Batang Sadong is worth almost six times more than Bandar Kuching.
“We cannot water down further the value of one person as what we have seen over the years due to unfair gerrymandering.
“That is why I urge that public consultation must be done extensively in the spirit of accountability and transparency to decide upon the boundaries of each new constituency,” he said.
He said the public should not allow their rights to be abused for unfair and excessive gerrymandering purely just to benefit those in power.
“The electoral system and re-delineation must follow international standards, not tied to one that fits the system and interests of those in power.
“Such safeguards are for the people and thus the democratic value of each one’s vote must be the main consideration for the formation of new constituencies,” he said.
