Upko1
PENAMPANG: The Election Commission (EC) in its present re-delineation exercise, has been urged to adhere to the policy ensuring that 34 per cent of parliamentary seats must be from Sabah and Sarawak
This is because it is stated so in the Cobbold Commission Report and the Malaysia Agreement, United Pasokomogun KadazaDusun Murut Organization (Upko) leaders said.
Upko secretary general Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau told reporters yesterday that Upko’s study of the Cobbold Commission Report and Malaysia Agreement signed on August 28, 1963 found that it was carefully decided that the number of parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia must not be more than two thirds of the total parliamentary seats.
This is to ensure that any attempt to amend the Federal Constitution, especially those touching on the special safeguards of the Borneo states, must have support from the Borneo states, he said in a press conference which was also attended by Upko vice president Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap, Women Movement chief Datin Dr Jainah Sintian, Komulakan chief Ewon Benedick and party members.
“Thus the peninsula was allocated 104 seats as opposed to 15 seats for Singapore, 16 for Sabah and 20 for Sarawak giving them a total 51 seats which constitute 34 per cent of the total 155 parliamentary seats.
“Unfortunately by 1974, Peninsular Malaysia was given an additional of 10 seats increasing the number there to 114 while there were no additional seats for Sabah and Sarawak. And with the withdrawal of Singapore from the federation, it was now possible for the peninsula to secure a two-third majority without the support of Sabah and Sarawak,” he stressed.
He pointed out that to date, Peninsular Malaysia has 166 parliamentary seats as opposed to 56 seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
According to Madius, in addition to the anomaly, a careful analysis of the geographical sizes of the three territories showed that Peninsular Malaysia with a land size of 131,598 sq km was allocated 166 seats compared to Sabah which is 73,631 sq km (25 seats) and Sarawak, 124,450 sq km with 31 seats.
To rectify the situation, Upko had proposed to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform to ensure that in the present re-delineation exercise, Sabah should be given an additional of 10 parliamentary seats and Sarawak 21 making the total 87 seats.
With 87 seats against the 166 seats in Peninsular Malaysia, it will no longer be possible for members of parliament there to amend the Federal Constitution without the support from Sabah and Sarawak, he stressed.
“In doing so, we would have followed the spirit of the Cobbold Commission and the Malaysia Agreement,” he said and reminded the Election Commission to strictly follow the policy of ensuring that 34 per cent of parliamentary seats is always maintained for Sabah and Sarawak in subsequent re-delineation exercises.
Upko, he added, also proposed to the Parliamentary Select Committee that the re-delineation exercise must be done with the view to ensure that major native communities such as the Kimaragang, Tabilung, Lotud, Lundayeh, Tatana, Kadazan Papar and Membakut as well as the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia are represented.
According to Madius, the removal of the Langkon state constituency had denied certain groups in the area of representation and in line with that, Upko demanded for the Election Commission to reinstate the state constituency.
If the Election Commission can reinstate Sook, then there is no reason why it cannot do the same for Langkon, he stressed.
Upko, he added, also cautioned the Election Commission to be truly autonomous and independent as well as more professional in treating proposals, complaints as well as objections from the State Government and leaders in the aspect of its re-delineation exercise.
Non action by the Election Commission of the views, proposals and objections by various parties to the 1993 re-delineation exercise saw the beginning of a systematic reduction of non-Muslim natives and Chinese dominated seats by the Commission.
“We lost more than eight seats including the removal of Langkon and Sook,” he lamented and added that Upko wants the Election Commission to reinstate the 1967, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1990 distribution of seats according to racial composition.
The setting up of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform is a golden opportunity to rectify past arbitrary decision of the Election Commission to one that is based on the spirit of formation of Malaysia which is to seek harmony, stability, progress and prosperity for all, Madius pointed out.
He also took the Election Commission to task for going against its own guidelines in the issue of creating a new parliamentary constituency such as Putrajaya.
Madius said, according to the Election Commission, for an area to be gazetted as a parliamentary constituency, it must have a population of more than 60,000 people.
For a suburban area, the population must be between 30,000 to 59,000 while a rural constituency must have a population of less than 30,000 people.
“But this is not so with Putrajaya as it has a population of less than 20,000 people and therefore is not qualified to be a parliamentary constituency. So this is clearly the case of the Election Commission going against its own guidelines,” he stressed.