Sarawak, Sabah may get 25 more parliamentary seats, says PBB info chief
Published on: Tue, May 27, 2025 Text Size: Sarawak and Sabah may receive an additional 25 parliamentary seats to restore the one-third representation they were promised under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said PBB information chief Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah. He noted that the original understanding during the formation of Malaysia was for the Bornean states to hold one-third of the total parliamentary seats as a safeguard of their rights, the DayakDaily reported. However, following Singapore's exit in 1965, its 15 seats were absorbed by Malaya, reducing Sabah and Sarawak's share. Currently, the two states hold 56 out of 222 seats or 25 percent. To reach one-third representation (74 seats), a constitutional amendment and two-thirds majority in Parliament would be required. Abdul Karim stressed the need to educate Peninsular MPs on MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee Report. While legal action is an option, he said it should be a last resort. He added that redelineation may impact his Asajaya constituency positively due to new infrastructure developments. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Daily Express
Malaysian tycoon Ong Beng Seng spared jail after Singapore scandal
Published on: Friday, August 15, 2025 Published on: Fri, Aug 15, 2025 By: Bloomberg Text Size: Ong Beng Seng last week pleaded guilty to abetting former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran to obstruct the course of justice. (EPA Images pic) SINGAPORE: Convicted billionaire Ong Beng Seng will avoid jail in Singapore despite his involvement in a scandal that stunned a city-state known for being one of the world's least corrupt nations. The Malaysian tycoon, who gained international fame for bringing Formula One racing to Singapore, was granted the reprieve by a district judge at a sentencing hearing this afternoon. Ong will be fined S$30,000, the judge said, citing his dire medical condition. The 79-year-old last week pleaded guilty to one charge of abetting former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran to obstruct the course of justice. Prosecutors said Ong in 2023 helped to bill Iswaran for a S$5,700 business class ticket while authorities were investigating the matter. The ex-politician was jailed last year after obtaining gifts that included tickets to Singapore's Grand Prix, a luxury hotel stay and other valuable items while in public office. Ong's charge related to a 2022 trip to the Fifa World Cup quarterfinals in Doha, which he had invited Iswaran to. Under Singapore's Penal Code, Ong could have been imprisoned for up to seven years in addition to being fined. Prosecutors had earlier sought eight weeks' jail for him, but his defence had asked for a fine instead based on his medical conditions, which include advanced multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer that has compromised his immune system. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Ukraine targets Russian oil refinery, apartment block
KYIV: Ukrainian drones hit a Russian oil refinery and an apartment block in an overnight attack just hours before US President Donald Trump hosts his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a high-stakes summit in Alaska. Kyiv has targeted Russia's oil depots and refineries in long-range drone attacks in what it calls retaliatory strikes for Moscow's nightly barrages of Ukrainian cities and its energy grid. The Ukrainian military said Friday it hit a large oil refinery in the central Russian city of Syzran, some 800 kilometres (500 miles) behind the front line. 'The Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region of Russia, one of the largest in the Rosneft system, was hit,' Ukraine's general staff said, referring to the network of facilities owned by Russian state-run energy giant Rosneft. It said the facility produced aviation fuel and supplied the Russian army. Unverified images on social media showed multiple fires and grey smoke billowing from the site at dawn on Friday. A separate Ukrainian drone strike on an apartment block in the Russian border region of Kursk killed one person and wounded 10 others, local Russian officials said. 'Unfortunately, a 45-year-old woman died on the spot,' Governor Alexander Khinshtein said in a video on Telegram, standing in front of a blown-out window. Russian attacks also continued, with Ukrainian officials in the frontline Kharkiv and Donetsk regions reporting six civilians killed in strikes over the last 24 hours. Ukraine has previously vowed to step-up its long-range strikes against Russia as Moscow launched record numbers of missiles and drones at Ukraine in June and July. The attack comes as Putin and Trump are to meet on Friday in Alaska with Trump pushing for an end to the Ukraine war, triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion. Russia has advanced on the ground ahead of the talks and Trump has publicly mooted the idea of a territorial swap between the warring sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the Alaska summit, has ruled that out. Russia's army said Ukraine fired 53 drones overnight, while Ukraine's air force said Moscow launched 97 - AFP
Daily Express
5 hours ago
- Daily Express
Non-Malays in top roles ‘increasingly accepted', activist observes
Published on: Friday, August 15, 2025 Published on: Fri, Aug 15, 2025 Text Size: KUALA LUMPUR: Political activist Badrul Hisham Shaharin ( pic ), better known as Che'GuBard, is once again in the spotlight, this time over his remarks on non-Malays being appointed to senior positions in national institutions. Taking to his Facebook page, he recently highlighted the recent appointment of Datuk M Kumar as Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Royal Malaysian Police as another sign of what he described as a move towards a 'Malaysian Malaysia.' Kumar officially assumed his new role on Aug 8, succeeding Datuk Fadli Marsus in one of the most influential posts in the police force after the Inspector-General of Police. Che'GuBard also referred to the historic promotion of Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng as the first Malaysian Chinese officer to hold the rank of Lieutenant General in the Malaysian Armed Forces. He said such appointments signalled greater acceptance of merit-based selections, noting that the 1967 Setapak Declaration opposed the segregation of citizens into bumiputera and non-bumiputera groups. According to him, it is becoming increasingly common for non-Malays to be given positions of authority, with even parties that once opposed the idea now accepting it. Che'GuBard said early racial concerns over such appointments were quickly addressed by voices emphasising the importance of professional expertise over ethnicity. He also suggested that the trend could one day lead to non-Malays holding the positions of Chief Justice, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief of Police, and possibly even Prime Minister, if they are deemed capable of advancing the nation's interests. In his post, he remarked that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had acknowledged Malaysia's shift from race-based to need-based policies. Che'GuBard ended his commentary by congratulating those he credited with shaping what he sees as a new direction for the country's leadership. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
