Hajiji supports for increase of parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor supports efforts to increase parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak.

He said the government will continue to support efforts to secure additional seats for at least one-third of the total parliamentary seats.

“We support creating more seats because when Sabah and Sarawak formed Malaysia together, it was agreed that the East Malaysia region would have at least one-third of the parliamentary seats.

“So we will continue the efforts as stated by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkli,” he said in a press conference today after chairing the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah meeting today.

Hajiji said this after being asked to comment on the proposed matter to be discussed openly in the State Legislative Assembly and to be submitted to the Election Commission.

Meanwhile, Maximus said he had already discussed on the matter in Parliament.

“I have touched on the matter in Parliament, in 1965 - 35 per cent in Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore and the balance is 65 per cent in Malaya (Peninsula).

“But when Singapore left, 15 per cent of the seats were taken by Malaya 74 to 75 per cent, and when there was a revision, there was a 22 to 25 per cent vacancies.

“I used to be the chairman of the special selection committee which the Parliament approved at the time and Azmin (Datuk Seri Azmin Ali) supported this move to return to the original but it was postponed as it had to be brought to the state assembly,” he said.

The Parti Bersatu Sabah president stressed that the Sabah and Sarawak state constituencies should support and discuss the matter in the state assembly sitting.

“I said yesterday that Sabah, Sarawak state assemblies must support and discuss to strengthen it to push for this matter,” he said.