KOTA KINABALU, Oct 1 (Bernama) — Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said that the time has come to conduct a study on increasing the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah.
He said that Sabah had previously seen an increase of 13 state seats, bringing the total from 60 to 73, which were contested in the 16th State Election in Sept 2020.
“I believe the conditions are sufficient for us to conduct a study on the possibility of adding more parliamentary seats,” he told reporters after launching the Pledge and Oath Ceremony in conjunction with orientation week for new students at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here today.
During the 15th General Election in Nov 2022, 25 parliamentary seats were contested in Sabah.
Hajiji said that Sabah and Sarawak have also expressed their desire and intention for the federal government to restore the 35 per cent quota, or one-third of the total number of parliamentary seats, to the two states.
Hajiji added that this matter was raised with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Meeting on Sept 12, and that there have been several discussions between Sabah and Sarawak to ensure the quota is reinstated.
He emphasised that the restoration of the quota is essential, and as such, the Sabah government will continue to push for discussions with the federal government on the issue.
“God willing, we need to look at factors such as population density and the size (of constituencies) in Sabah. This is also to ensure the interests of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
He said the Sabah government had also proposed an increase in the number of seats to meet the quota, though he did not specify the exact figure.
