Mustapha Sakmud addresses Sabah sovereignty claims and parliamentary seat increases

Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak), has urged citizens in Sabah and Sarawak to ignore entities attempting to claim government status and register North Borneo Sabah abroad. This warning follows social media invitations calling for gatherings at the Victorian Parliament in Australia to establish such a movement. Mustapha emphasized that bypassing official legal channels is irresponsible and threatens national sovereignty.

In a separate development regarding regional representation, Mustapha announced efforts to accelerate negotiations for increasing the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak. Rather than waiting for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Technical Implementation Committee meeting scheduled for next year, early discussions will be held with the Election Commission (SPR) and the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU).

The goal is to complete these processes before the 16th General Election (PRU16), though the timeline depends on necessary studies and censuses. Additionally, there is a proposal to split the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency into two due to its high voter population.