KUCHING, Oct 16: Sarawak’s demand for Sabah and Sarawak to collectively hold at least one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat is about more than increasing the number of parliamentary seats, says Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
She said the demand was intended to ensure that both Sabah and Sarawak have adequate representation in Parliament and that their position, rights and interests as partners in the formation of Malaysia continued to enjoy meaningful protection within the federal structure.
“More importantly, it is about ensuring that Sarawak and Sabah have adequate representation in Parliament, particularly when proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution could affect the rights and interests of both states,” she said when responding to Tellian assemblyman Roystan Valentine during the question-and-answer session at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUNS) sitting today.
