S'wak leader slams EC for ignoring 1963 accord
A Sarawak BN leader condemned the Election Commission (EC) for ignoring the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, which states one-third of parliamentary seats would be kept for Sabah and Sarawak when redrawing electoral constituencies.
President of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) James Jemut Masing said the commission must honour and uphold the original conditions for the formation of Malaysia.
“If the 1963 agreement is not to be honoured, then the Federation of Malaysia should be declared null and void,” said Masing as quoted by The Borneo Post today.
The Sarawak land development minister was responding to EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, who had shot down the proposal set aside one-third of parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
"Any allocation of seats must be dealt with according to the constitution and not by way of any agreement which will not be binding on the EC," said Abdul Aziz ( photo ) as reported by The Malaysian Insider .
The 1963 accord underlined the privileges given to Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore and included one-third of parliamentary seats given to them to protect their interests. Singapore left Malaysia in 1965.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang supported Sabah opposition leaders’ call for one-third of parliamentary seats to be set aside for Sabah and Sarawak.
The issue was first brought up by local NGO Sabah Solidarity Movement to demand the restoration of one-third veto power.
Masing, who is also the Baleh state assemblyperson, said the commission must give what is due to both of the states.
Sabah and Sarawak were allocated 57 out of 222 parliamentary seats. One third of the house would equal 74 seats.
The commission is currently conducting redelineation exercises nationwide.
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