KOTA KINABALU (Sept 26): A special committee should be established under the Technical Committee of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) to study the proposal to increase Sabah and Sarawak’s representation in Parliament.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the study would also determine a timeline for its implementation.

He said the special committee should comprise representatives from the Election Commission (EC), Legal Affairs Division, Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division, as well as the state governments.

“We hope that through this approach, we will be able to set out a clear timeline for increasing the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak,” he told reporters after launching the book titled The Transformative Integrated Living Lab (TILL): From Philosophy to Practice at the Sabah International Convention Centre here on Saturday.

Mustapha, in a statement on Tuesday, said the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department had initiated discussions with the EC on the direction and implementation mechanism for the proposal to increase the number of members of Parliament from Sabah and Sarawak.

He said discussions with the EC are still at an early stage, focusing on the methods and studies required to increase the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Following the meeting, the EC informed us that it has specific methods in place. However, a detailed study is required because any increase in parliamentary seats in Borneo must take into account the corresponding increase in seats in the peninsula,” he said.

On Sept 11, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government had agreed to increase the proportion of parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak from the current level, in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

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