PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission (EC) will review the electoral boundaries nationwide if Parliament approves constitutional amendments to increase the number of seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said the proposed increase would also take into account the parliamentary constituencies in Peninsular Malaysia.
He said the representation ratio for Sabah and Sarawak would be increased from its current level.
“The EC will conduct a review of the boundaries of the electoral constituencies in all three areas, subject to amendments to the Federal Constitution,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Sept 13).
Ramlan said the EC took note of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks on the proposed constitutional amendments following the meeting of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council on Friday (Sept 11).
He said the commission would provide further details once there was an official decision and developments that could be made public.
During the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the Parliament comprised one-third representatives from Singapore and Borneo states, which was a constitutional safeguard that ensured Malaya did not hold more than two-third of the seats in Parliament. When Singapore left in 1965, the ratio of Sabah and Sarawak representation in Parliament was just 25%, while Peninsular Malaysia increased to 75%.
