PM to announce Sarawak interim measure in Kuching; Cabinet clears more Sabah-Sarawak seats
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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will use Malaysia Day in Kuching on Sept 16 to announce an interim measure on Sarawak's longstanding claims, after the federal Cabinet approved in principle adding parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak to improve their representation ratio.
The seat decision was announced on Sept 11 after Anwar chaired the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Implementation Action Council meeting in Kota Kinabalu. Any increase in seats lies with the Election Commission, and peninsular seats could grow as well — the key condition is that Sabah and Sarawak end up with a higher share of representation than today, not simply more members. The Dewan Rakyat currently has 222 seats: 25 for Sabah, 31 for Sarawak and 166 for the peninsula. Under MA63, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak together once held about a third of parliamentary representation, a proportion that has slipped since.
The mechanics still have to be worked out with the Election Commission, state governments and parties, and Anwar said he could not promise the change would be in place before the general election expected next year. On the payments side, Sabah's interim allocation was raised to RM1.5 billion this year while talks on Sabah's claim for 40 per cent of net federal revenue from the state continue. For Sarawak, Anwar backed the state's proposal for a clearer formula, telling the Ministry of Finance and Sarawak to discuss the details against the country's financial position, capacity and the minimum and maximum amounts that could be considered. He noted that Sarawak's claims do not fall under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution, but said the same spirit should apply.
Anwar said he will keep refining the matter with Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg over the coming days. Abang Johari welcomed the outcome as a win-win formula. The concrete numbers — seat arithmetic and the interim figure — now depend on the Election Commission's consultation process and the negotiations due before the Sept 16 announcement.
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