Sabah and Sarawak officials discuss expanding parliamentary representation with Election Commission

The Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department held a meeting with the Election Commission to consider a plan to add more parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak. Mustapha Sakmud, the minister responsible for the two states, met EC chairman Ramlan Harun in Kota Kinabau, citing recent federal developments such as the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council meeting on September 11, which recorded cabinet discussion of the matter.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed that there is a case for increasing the states’ representation, subject to detailed talks with the EC. Currently, the two states hold 56 seats, about 25.3% of the total, and the proposal aims to raise this to roughly 35% to balance with Peninsular Malaysia. The talks also covered constitutional, legal and technical issues, including electoral boundary delimitation and data requirements. Officials emphasized that the goal is to strengthen the voice of Sabah and Sarawak in line with the original spirit of Malaysia’s formation.