KOTA SAMARAHAN: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the restoring of 35 per cent of seats in parliament is important for both states as stipulated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“This is to ensure balanced distribution of the seats and voices of Sabah and Sarawak in parliament.”
Ongkili said this when asked by the media on whether the ratio of Sabah and Sarawak parliamentary seats should be decided according to population.
As for the actual number of seats that need to be added, he said the matter is still being discussed by a task force from both states.
Earlier, Ongkili attended the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63): From the Perspective of the Millennial Generation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), yesterday (Sept 19).
Presently the Borneo states make up 25 per cent or 56 seats with Sarawak having 31 and Sabah 25 while the remaining 166 or 75 per cent of parliamentary seats are in Peninsular Malaysia.
In a related development, Ongkili insisted that there are 15 items under the MA63 agreement that have not yet been fully settled.
Among them, the review of special grants (Article 112D of the Federal Constitution) of the State of Sarawak; Residual Powers of Environmental Legislation; Gas and Electricity Regulatory Authority for the State of Sabah; Labour in Sabah and Sarawak and oil royalties and petroleum payments.
