Special panel needed on proposal to increase Sabah, Sarawak MPs, says minister

Mustapha Sakmud, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Sabah and Sarawak, has proposed the establishment of a special committee under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) implementation action council to study the possibility of increasing the number of parliamentary seats for the two states. The committee would comprise representatives from the Election Commission, legal affairs division, and the Prime Minister's Department divisions for Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the state governments.

The purpose of this committee would be to determine a timeline for the implementation of the proposal and ensure a clear plan for increasing the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak. So far, discussions with the Election Commission on the proposal have been at an early stage, focusing on the methods and studies required to achieve the desired increase in parliamentary representation.

The Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, previously stated that the government agreed to increase Sabah and Sarawak's parliamentary representation proportion, aligning with the spirit of the MA63.