Last Sunday (September 29), at an event held at the Kapit Civic Centre, Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg highlighted the urgent need for both Sarawak and Sabah to be given one third or 35 per cent of seats in Parliament to safeguard the rights of the Bornean states under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
 
Then, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy President Dato Henry Harry Jinep at the Pertubuhan Wartawan Bebas (Pewarta) Workshop for Journalists on Monday (September 30) at a hotel in Kuching, described the MA63 akin to a ‘family’ affair whereby the husband must take good care of his wife and children based on a sacred matrimonial agreement. 
 
Using such simple analogy, the subject matter is much easier to understand and comprehend. 
Dato Henry’s view on the subject matter has put a new perspective on how MA63 can be explained and understood in a simple term. 
 
Similarly, like any social contact, MA63, must be implemented for the benefit of all parties. In this case, Sarawak and Sabah must be seen as equal partners with Malaya in the Federation of Malaysia.
 
Touching on parliamentary seats allocation, Dato Henry said, based on MA63, Sarawak and Sabah should have been allocated with one third of the seats in Parliament. Currently the Lower House or Dewan Rakyat has 222 seats, whereby Sarawak is allocated with 31 seats while Sabah has 25 seats, making a total of 56 seats for the two Bornean states. These 56 seats make up only 25 per cent of the total seats in Parliament. 
 
Some commentators have speculated that if the seats allocation for Sarawak and Sabah are increased to one third, then both the Bornean states will be allocated with 37 seats each, making a total of 74 seats. 
 
However, there is no way that states in Malaya will simply give up the seats that they have already been allocated with. This is not only impractical but unfair to say the least, especially for those whose constituencies would be removed or merged together. So, the only practical way forward is to increase the number of seats in Parliament. In this case, all the three partners will get additional seats. After all, Malaysia’s official population now has reached 34 million. 
 
So, it is high time that seats delineation should be implemented as the last exercise was done in 2018. And since then, the country’s population has increased by more than 5 million. Of course, there will be arguments about some seats with small areas such as the metropolitan areas of KL, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu and other state capitals, whereby there is a high population density, that need to be delineated. But so too, is the case of Sarawak, as there are some seats, for instance, Hulu Rajang, which consisted of Baleh, Belaga and Murum state constituency seats, covers an area as large as the whole state of Pahang!
 
What Dato Henry had said, was highlighted by Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari during a leaders-meet-the-people session held at the Kapit Civic Centre last Sunday, whereby he spelt it out that one third of the seats in Parliament means at least 35 per cent. He said, this is crucial for the Bornean states to safeguard the MA 63 rights. 
 
As a seasoned politician, the Sarawak Premier stressed this point for both the Bornean states to have one third of parliamentary seats, to prevent the possibility to ​amend the Federal Constitution regarding the interests of Sarawak and Sabah in the federation.
 
During the formation of Malaysia, the combined number of parliament seats among its partners consisting of Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah was more than one-third. But when Singapore left the federation of Malaysia in 1965, its parliamentary seats were taken by Peninsular Malaysia, instead of being distributed to Sarawak and Sabah. 
 
And during this period from 1965, the rights of the Bornean states have been greatly eroded through unilateral amendments in the Federal Constitutions without the consent of the respective State Legislative Assemblies of Sarawak and Sabah, which subsequently resulted for both Sarawak and Sabah being relegated to the status of being one of the states in the federation instead of being partners. The status was only reversed in October 2021 after a long process of negotiation.
 
Now under the current political dynamics of the Madani Government, both Sarawak and Sabah are in the driving seat to demand what they have lost in the past 59 years. And what better way for the Premier to request one third of parliamentary seats, right in front of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the function in Kapit. 
 
Now surely, the message that has been sent across to Putrajaya is loud and clear, and without any ambiguity, that one third or 35 per cent of the total parliamentary seats should be allocated to East Malaysia, without further delay and negotiation. 
 
And as the ball is now in the Prime Minister’s court, it is hoped that he will keep his end of the bargain, to ensure that Malaysia, which consisted of three regions, and akin to a ‘family’ as described by Dato Henry, will continue to co-exist in equal partnership within the federation of Malaysia.