KUCHING: Sarawak could be short of seven parliamentary seats if the Federal Constitution is amended to recognise Sarawak as a region, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing.
When Malaysia was formed in 1963, Sarawak was allocated 23 per cent of the seats in Parliament. Following the secession of Singapore in 1965, the creation of Federal Territories and the increase of MP seats over the years Sarawak has 18 per cent of the seats, that is, only 31.
“We should have 38 instead of 31 seats now,” said Masing, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president.
Thus, he urged Putrajaya to increase the number of seats for Sarawak and Sabah because it is crucial for determining who controls the country’s political administration.
The state legislature, he added, had (during his time in the House) passed a law preventing politicians from jumping parties. However, this was rendered null and void because freedom of association is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
Recently, Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat quit PRS to join Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB).
