Salleh minta penjelasan berhubung tambahan kerusi Parlimen untuk Sabah, Sarawak

Former Sabah Chief Minister Salleh Said Keruak is urging Putrajaya to explain the additional parliamentary seats they wish to allocate to Sabah and Sarawak, and whether the government is committed to a one-third representation for both states. This is not necessarily about increasing the overall number of seats if the peninsula's seats also increase, according to Salleh, who is also the Bendahari Umno Sabah.

The real issue is not the number of seats added, but what proportion of parliamentary seats Sabah and Sarawak will ultimately hold. At Malaysia's formation in 1963, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore together held roughly one-third of parliamentary seats, but Singapore's departure in 1965 left the question of whether the representation for Sabah and Sarawak should reflect the spirit and balance of Malaysia's formation.

For Sabah and Sarawak, it is not just about getting more seats; it relates to whether their representation reflects the spirit and understanding that formed the basis of Malaysia. Earlier, the Election Commission (SPR) denied claims that there was a proposal to add 15 parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak. Based on the current 222 parliamentary seats, an additional 18 constituencies are needed for Sabah and Sarawak to achieve the one-third mark.

According to SPR official Khairul Shahril Idrus, there is no proposal for a parliamentary constituency expansion in Sarawak at the moment, involving any constituency areas, as claimed in the report, which refers to the Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 (MA63) discussions. As of now, only the Sarawak Revised Consolidated Study (KSP) 7 is available and is being displayed to the public from September 1 to September 30, 2026.

On September 11, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government agreed to amend the Constitution to allow for an increase in parliamentary representatives from Sabah and Sarawak, but the main principle is that the proportion of Sabah and Sarawak seats must be higher than their current status. This reflects the original spirit of the Perjanjian Malaysia 1963.