Kuala Lumpur:Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud has proposed the formation of a special committee to develop a mechanism for increasing parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the proposed committee would operate under the Technical Committee of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) and would be co-chaired by Mustapha and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. The issue of increasing Sabah and Sarawak's Members of Parliament has been on the agenda of MTPMA63 and its Technical Committee meetings and has been discussed extensively in Cabinet meetings.

Following these discussions, Mustapha held preliminary talks with the Election Commission to seek its views and determine the next steps. This proposal was made in response to a question from Datuk Willie Mongin (GPS-Puncak Borneo) during a session in the Dewan Rakyat.

Mustapha mentioned that discussions would continue in upcoming MTPMA63 Technical Committee meetings. He also noted that 13 out of 26 matters under the MTPMA63 negotiation platform have been resolved as of the first meeting on September 11.

He detailed that of the unresolved matters, three are partially resolved, five remain unresolved, and another five are under discussion with the Prime Minister, the Sarawak Premier, and the Sabah Chief Minister. Topics for discussion include oil royalties, petroleum cash payments, stamp duties, the Territorial Sea Act 2012, and state rights over the continental shelf.

The MADANI Government, Mustapha emphasized, is committed to resolving all claims under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 expeditiously, although each claim's resolution is dependent on relevant legal processes. The government aims for a prudent and inclusive implementation of MA63, in the spirit of strong federalism.