Sabah and Sarawak parliamentary seat increase requires constitutional amendment

The federal government’s agreement in principle to increase parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak has initiated a constitutional process. According to Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department, any increase in parliamentary seats requires a constitutional amendment passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The decision follows the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) spirit, aiming to address the current proportion of seats held by the two Borneo states. Currently, Sabah and Sarawak hold 56 of the 222 parliamentary seats, approximately 25 percent of the total. This is a decrease from 1963, when Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore collectively held about one-third of the seats.

While the principle has been agreed upon, the specific formula and the exact number of additional seats are yet to be determined through further discussions between the federal government and the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak. This process is distinct from the ongoing delimitation exercise by the Election Commission (SPR) regarding Sarawak's State Legislative Assembly seats.