No motion yet on one-third seat call for Sabah and Sarawak, proposal still with Cabinet, says Dewan Rakyat Speaker
KUCHING, April 23 — Dewan Rakyat has yet to receive any formal motion from Members of Parliament regarding face-to-face negotiations on the demand for one-third of parliamentary seats to be allocated to Sabah and Sarawak.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said the proposal, put forward by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, would fall under government policy matters, which must first be decided by the executive.
'I haven't received anything yet. Perhaps discussions are still ongoing at the Cabinet level, in which I am not involved in,' he told a press conference of the 4th Meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (WAIPA) 2025, held at Damai Lagoon Resort here yesterday.
Johari Abdul clarified that his role was solely to oversee proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat, while decisions on what issues are tabled for debate lie with the executive branch.
'I leave that to the executive. I'm just the Speaker who manages the debates.
'That is a policy-level matter which I believe must be initiated by the government,' he explained.
When asked whether the proposal could be debated in Parliament if formally submitted, Johari Abdul said it would be entirely up to the government.
'In Parliament, it depends, because any matter to be debated there is at the discretion of the executive.'
Previously, Fadillah proposed that negotiations to amend the quota to ensure 35 per cent of parliamentary seats go to Sabah and Sarawak should be conducted face-to-face, particularly with MPs from Peninsular Malaysia.
He said a similar approach was taken by the current Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, during his tenure as Minister in Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) in efforts to amend Article 160 of the Federal Constitution.
'The demand to allocate one-third of parliamentary seats to Sabah and Sarawak is a complex and challenging issue.
'It not only requires discussions with ministries and government agencies, but more importantly, it involves political negotiations with every Member of Parliament to gain their support and clearly explain why the amendment is needed,' added Fadillah. — The Borneo Post
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