Sabah and Sarawak’s over-representation in the Dewan Rakyat has been of no benefit to the two states and should be abolished in the long-run, argued political scientist Wong Chin Huat.

He said such a situation only creates 'safe deposits' for the BN, making regime change unlikely.

Contrariwise, he said, East Malaysia would benefit from a Parliament where Malaysians are equally represented, as it would lead to greater competition for Putrajaya.

And all political parties would be forced to strike better deals for the  electorate.

“What we really need in Sabah and Sarawak is decentralisation, not an increase in seats.

"Seat increase is the wrong prescription and a bad substitute for decentralisation,” Wong told a seminar in Petaling Jaya today.

He added that decentralisation should also include substantial power and fiscal autonomy for the states, elected municipal governments, and an “elected and empowered” Senate, where one-third of seats are set aside for Sabah and Sarawak with some seats reserved for the Orang Asli.

Sarawak CM deposed

To illustrate Sabah and Sarawak’s impotence in federal politics, Wong said the federal government had declared an emergency in Sarawak in 1966 and deposed then chief minister Stephen Kalong Ningkan via the Parliament.

This circumvented putting a motion of no confidence through the state legislative assembly, and was passed despite the undermining the state’s autonomy.

He also highlighted the East Malaysia’s lack of development, despite being resource-rich.

Pre-empting arguments to stick to the Malaysia Agreement and let the two states be over-represented, he said, “Why should we stick the Malaysia Agreement, if there can be a better deal?”

There are currently 55 parliamentary seats representing East Malaysia, including the federal territory of Labuan, out of a total of 222 seat nationwide.