Sarawak to continue pursuing more representation in Parliament

KUCHING: Sarawak will continue to pursue the agenda of increasing its number of representatives in Parliament, the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly was told today.

Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department (Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the demand must be fulfilled to ensure a balanced representation in the Parliament, in line with the spirit and original purpose of Malaysia's formation in 1963.

She said a proposal paper seeking an increase in the number of seats of Sarawak representatives in Parliament was presented to Jawatankuasa Kerja Rakan Sekutu (JKRS) on Aug 23, 2022.

Following the change of the federal government, Sarawak continued to pursue the matter under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63), she said.

"The first meeting of MTPMA63 was held on Jan 20, 2023, and it was decided that this matter be further deliberated in the working committee led by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department.

"The working committee had met twice, and the proposal paper was again presented and deliberated on. The outcome of the meeting will then be presented at the upcoming Technical Committee meeting which will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof," she said.

She said this in her reply to a question from Datuk Dennis Ngau (GPS-Telang Usan) who wanted to know what is the status of Sarawak's proposal to increase Borneo representation in Parliament during a question and answer session at the state assembly sitting today.

-- BERNAMA