Sarawak Premier welcomes federal government’s agreement to increase parliamentary seats, ready for further negotiations on representation
KUCHING: Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has welcomed the Federal Government’s agreement in principle to increase the state’s parliamentary seats.
He stated that the proposal to expand representation, potentially up to one-third of total parliamentary seats, remains entirely under federal jurisdiction.
“We thank the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for agreeing to increase the seats,” Abang Johari told reporters after gracing the Sarawak Development Bank’s Integrity Day.
“Whether it reaches one-third, we will negotiate,” he added.
The Premier indicated Sarawak’s readiness for further discussions while acknowledging the federal government’s timeline.
“If they are ready, we’ll discuss further… If not, we wait,” he said.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had previously confirmed the government’s in-principle agreement to increase parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
He noted the consideration was based on voter numbers in both states.
However, Anwar clarified there is no current commitment to increasing Sabah and Sarawak’s seats to one-third of the total.
Currently, Sabah holds 25 parliamentary seats while Sarawak has 31 seats in the national parliament. – Bernama
