PUTRAJAYA (April 13): Discussions to have the one-third parliamentary seat quota for Sabah and Sarawak must involve all component parties within the unity government, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Zahid, who is also the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, added that the matter should also be thoroughly reviewed by the Election Commission (EC).

“We have yet to examine the proposal in detail, as it must first be discussed with the component parties of the Madani government.

“We need to engage with the EC on the matter as well,” he told reporters at his Lebaran Kasih Aidilfitri open house on Sunday.

Zahid also expressed confidence that when the time is right, leaders from across the political spectrum, including the opposition, will come together to deliberate on the issue.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof stated that the proposal to have the one-third or 35% parliamentary seat quota for Sabah and Sarawak requires direct discussions, particularly with members of Parliament from Peninsular Malaysia. 

The last parliamentary redelineation exercise was carried out in 2006. 

Currently, Sabah and Sarawak hold 25 and 31 seats respectively, accounting for 56 out of 222 Dewan Rakyat seats, or approximately 25%.

In a separate development, Zahid said BN remains open to working with other parties in the upcoming Sabah state election. 

He said the coalition had held discussions with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and other political parties in Sabah regarding potential collaboration.

“Ideally, once all party leaders, regardless of their coalition, can find common ground, an official announcement will be made. For now, however, talks are still in progress with various parties,” he said.

Earlier, Sabah Umno chief and BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin announced that the party would be joining forces with PH for the upcoming state election.

Bung said the decision was finalised to address speculation about Umno Sabah’s electoral partners in the upcoming polls.

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