35pct parliamentary seat proposal for Sabah, Sarawak still under MA63 talks

 By Olivia Miwil

August 7, 2026 @ 2:03pm

The proposal remains one of 29 agenda items under discussion, with the Election Commission studying its implications, says Datuk Mustapha Sakmud. NSTP/FILE PIC

KOTA KINABALU: The proposal to increase Sabah and Sarawak's representation to 35 per cent of parliamentary seats remains under discussion as part of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.

Mustapha said the proposal, which would allocate 78 of the 222 Dewan Rakyat seats to the two states, remains one of 29 agenda items under MA63 negotiations.

"At this stage, there is no specific timeline. The matter is still being studied by the Election Commission (EC) and remains a negotiation involving both Sabah and Sarawak.

"It is now up to the federal government to study and consider the proposal. However, it remains one of the agenda items under the MA63 meetings and is among the 29 matters currently under discussion," the Sepanggar MP told reporters after the 2025 Madani STPM Excellence Awards here today.

Sabah currently has 25 parliamentary seats while Sarawak has 31, giving East Malaysia a combined 56 seats, or about 25 per cent of the 222-member Dewan Rakyat.

Increasing their representation to more than one-third of the seats would give Sabah and Sarawak the ability to block unilateral constitutional amendments, which require a two-thirds majority in Parliament

On the recent MA63 Technical Committee meeting, Mustapha said the relevant ministries, agencies and departments were working according to their respective timelines to implement matters relating to the constitutional rights of Sabah and Sarawak.

"The MA63 Central Committee, chaired by the prime minister, will meet on Sept 11.

"Before that meeting, all parties must complete the necessary work and submit their reports to the main committee," he said.

On a separate matter, Mustapha said any decision by the Sabah government to introduce free tertiary education would depend on the state's financial capacity.

At the federal level, he said the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) had expanded its assistance to benefit students from low-income families, particularly those registered under the e-Kasih database.