Special Committee Needed to Study Parliamentary Seat Increase for Sabah and Sarawak, Says Mustapha

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 26 – A special committee should be established under the Technical Committee of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) to examine the proposal to increase parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud stated that the committee would be tasked with determining a clear timeline for implementing the seat increase.

Mustapha proposed that the special committee include representatives from the Election Commission (EC), the Legal Affairs Division, the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division, and the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak.

“We hope that through this approach, we will be able to set out a clear timeline for increasing the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak,” Mustapha told reporters after officiating the launch of the book The Transformative Integrated Living Lab (TILL): From Philosophy to Practice at the Sabah International Convention Centre on Saturday.

Mustapha previously noted on Tuesday that his division had initiated preliminary discussions with the EC regarding the direction and implementation framework for the proposed expansion of MP seats from the Borneo states.

He clarified that initial talks focused on the necessary analytical studies and methodologies required prior to redrawing boundaries.

“Following the meeting, the EC informed us that it has specific methods in place. However, a detailed study is required because any increase in parliamentary seats in Borneo must take into account the corresponding increase in seats in the Peninsula,” he added.

On Sept 11, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim affirmed that the federal government had agreed to increase the proportion of parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak, aligning with the foundational spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

–NMT