Why the Borneo states’ demand for 35% of parliamentary seats must be supported
Can Putrajaya be trusted to act in the best interests of all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region and is there a need for a better system of checks and balances?
Dennis Ignatius
[1] The Borneo states are now pressing hard for their full rights under MA63. It’s not just about revenue and the right to run their internal affairs but about having a meaningful say in the political direction of the nation. Sabah and Sarawak are – and this cannot be stressed enough – co-equal partners with Malaya under the terms of the Malaysia agreement (MA63).
[2] One of their key demands is to be allocated 35% of the seats in Dewan Rakyat. When Malaysia was formed in 1963, Malaya was allocated 105 of the 160 seats in the Dewan Rakyat (representing 65% of the voting power in the House), with Sarawak holding 24 seats, Sabah, 16, and Singapore, 15. This denied Malaya the two-thirds majority required to amend the Federal Constitution. When Singapore left, it’s 15 seats were not redistributed to Sabah and Sarawak, causing the two East Malaysian states to lose their veto power.[1]
[3] Currently, the Dewan Rakyat comprises 222 members, with Sabah and Sarawak allocated 25 and 31 seats respectively, for a combined 25.2% share of voting power. This allows 148 of the 166 MPs from Malaya to push through constitutional amendments.[2]
[4] While it may seem like just another spat between the two Borneo states and the Federal Government, much more is at stake. The key question that Malaysians must ask themselves when considering this issue is whether Putrajaya can be trusted to act in the best interests of all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region and whether there is a need for a better system of checks and balances?
[5] Over the last few decades, Putrajaya has eroded many of the understandings implicit in the Federal Constitution. Ketuanan Melayu politicians have gradually changed the very character of Malaysia from a secular democracy into an ethno-religious state and are set to take Malaysia further down that road. There are no checks and balances to prevent them from making major constitutional amendments that could spell the end of the Malaysia we know. Even the basic structure doctrine of the Federal Constitution is now being challenged.
