Borneo needs additional seats, but Fadhli says adding 'Malay belt' constituencies more critical

PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has argued that any increase in parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak should also address representation in the east coast and other parts of Peninsular Malaysia.

“More critically, this applies to seats in the east coast states or the ‘Malay belt area’, where, during the increase in seats for the 2004 general election, these states did not enjoy increases in the same way as the west coast,” he said in a statement.

An analysis of constituency malapportionment in Peninsular Malaysia by electiondata.my shows that disparities on the east coast largely involve seats that are over-represented, meaning they have fewer voters than the peninsular average.

Eleven of Pahang’s 14 parliamentary seats are classified as over-represented, along with four of Kelantan’s 14 and two of Terengganu’s eight.

A further eight seats in Kelantan and four in Terengganu are considered “balanced”.

In contrast, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) states that Sabah and Sarawak should have one-third (33 percent) of parliamentary seats. Currently, it is at 25 percent.

Fadhli said PAS supported increasing Sabah and Sarawak’s parliamentary representation in principle.

“An increase in parliamentary seats is necessary; we acknowledge that. But it is needed not only in Sabah and Sarawak, but also in the peninsula,” the Pasir Mas MP said in a statement today.

His remarks came after Putrajaya said last Friday that it had agreed to amend the Federal Constitution to give Sabah and Sarawak a higher proportion of parliamentary seats.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal was among the key decisions of the MA63 Implementation Action Council and had earlier received cabinet approval.

Roadblocks

Fadhli raised two potential hurdles to implementing the proposal - securing sufficient support in Parliament and completing the electoral redelineation process.

“Adding seats is a good and practical move, but it requires a constitutional amendment with a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

“Without negotiations for additional seats in many locations in the peninsula as well, do you think it will pass easily? If PN and BN decide not to support it, can it pass?” he asked.

He also questioned whether the proposal could be completed before the next general election, noting that the previous redelineation exercise involved consultations between the Election Commission and political stakeholders.

“Do you think this promise to increase parliamentary seats can be implemented before the 16th general election without the EC conducting any negotiations with stakeholders? It is not easy, and it is not something that can be done in a month or two,” he said.

Political posturing

Fadhli accused Anwar of making a politically convenient promise to Sabah and Sarawak, describing the announcement as a “high-quality performance”.

The PAS lawmaker alleged that it was intended to retain the support of the two Borneo states should BN withdraw from the federal government.

“The real purpose of this promise is to ensure that Sabah and Sarawak continue supporting the Madani government if BN decides to leave the government,” he claimed.

Despite his criticism, Fadhli said PAS would support additional seats under certain conditions.

“PAS has no problem agreeing if the increase in seats is fair to everyone and goes through the proper discussions,” he said.

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