Kuala lumpur: The federal government’s agreement in principle to increase the number of parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak is in line with the requirements of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman said the announcement made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a positive step in realising the demands of MA63 and he welcomed the government’s agreement on it.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hajiji expressed that Sabah and Sarawak have been anticipating this development to gain additional parliamentary seats. He emphasized the significance of special consideration for the two large states in order to align with MA63, which stipulates that Sabah and Sarawak should hold at least one-third of the parliamentary seats.

In a statement following a meeting with the GRS Sulaman election machinery in Kampung Lok Batik, Hajiji highlighted the announcement by the Prime Minister, who noted the federal government’s agreement to augment the number of seats considering the voter population in the regions. Although there is no commitment yet to ensure one-third representation, the government is dedicated to increasing seats based on necessity.

Hajiji pointed out the growing population in constituencies like Kinabatangan, which is comparable in size to Pahang but only has one parliamentary seat. Similarly, he noted that the Tuaran constituency covers an area as large as the state of Perlis. He expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for this initiative.

Currently, Sabah and Sarawak hold 25 and 31 parliamentary seats respectively.