KUCHING: The implementation of additional parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak will only be finalised after the 16th General Election (GE16), said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. He stated that several legal aspects need to be reviewed before any necessary amendments can be made in the Dewan Rakyat.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fadillah mentioned that it cannot be implemented in time for GE16. There is no specific timeline set for implementing these additional seats, allowing time for discussions on the legal aspects by the Attorney General’s Chambers, and the Sabah and Sarawak State Attorney General Chambers. Reports from the three legal advisers are expected in the first quarter of next year and will be presented at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting.

He further noted that the Election Commission (EC) has completed its study on the matter in Sarawak only. The issue of claims for additional parliamentary seats was previously discussed in th
e MTPMA63 meeting in September, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The last constituency redelineation exercise involving parliamentary seats was in 2006, with Sabah and Sarawak currently holding 25 and 31 seats respectively, accounting for a combined 25 per cent of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.