Deputy Minister: One-third seats to protect Sabah, Sarawak’s rights within federal structure

Sarawak Legislative Assembly Complex sits next to Dataran Ibu Pertiwi.

By Karen Bong

KUCHING, Oct 16: Sarawak’s demand for Sabah and Sarawak to collectively hold at least one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat is about more than increasing the number of parliamentary seats, says Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.

She said the demand was intended to ensure that both Sabah and Sarawak have adequate representation in Parliament and that their position, rights and interests as partners in the formation of Malaysia continued to enjoy meaningful protection within the federal structure.

“More importantly, it is about ensuring that Sarawak and Sabah have adequate representation in Parliament, particularly when proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution could affect the rights and interests of both states,” she said when responding to Tellian assemblyman Roystan Valentine during the question-and-answer session at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUNS) sitting today.

She said that with at least one-third of the total seats in the Dewan Rakyat, Sabah and Sarawak would collectively hold a more meaningful position in the constitutional amendment process, which requires the support of a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

“This is also consistent with the circumstances surrounding the formation of Malaysia in 1963, when the seats allocated collectively to Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore accounted for more than one-third of the total seats in the Dewan Rakyat,” she added.

Sharifah Hasidah said the Sarawak government remained firm in its position that Sabah and Sarawak’s representation in Parliament should reflect the spirit and founding principles of Malaysia’s formation in 1963.

She said that at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Implementation Action Council meeting on Sept 11, 2026, the federal government had agreed in principle to increase the proportion of parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak in the Dewan Rakyat from the current level.

“However, the implementation mechanism, including the number of seats and the amendments required to the Federal Constitution, still needed to be refined,” she said.

The Sarawak government would continue pursuing outstanding matters through negotiations with the Federal Government under the existing MA63 Implementation Action Council platform, she added. — DayakDaily