KUCHING: The Borneo states’ call for one-third of parliamentary seats is about ‘correcting a historical wrong,’ says political analyst James Chin.
Chin, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, Australia, explained that this is no more than what was agreed upon when Malaysia was formed.
“The historical wrong is simple. In 1965, the parliamentary seats held by Singapore should have been redistributed to Sabah and Sarawak. That would have preserved the original balance of power, with Borneo and Singapore collectively holding one-third of the seats.
“But instead of reallocating those seats to Sabah and Sarawak, they were simply cancelled. Worse still, Sabah and Sarawak were not consulted when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia.
“Had they been asked; they would have insisted on reassigning those seats. This demand from Sabah and Sarawak is like the constitutional amendment – it’s about righting a historical wrong,” Chin told the Sarawak Tribune.
He also pushed back against Peninsular Malaysia based NGOs claiming the 35 per cent allocation of Dewan Rakyat seats would disrupt today’s electoral system by introducing unfair representation to already underrepresented states.
He warned that the narrative that NGOs in Peninsular Malaysia are pushing is ‘very dangerous.’
“The problem with the NGOs in Malaya, is that they are trying to correct political imbalance because of the strong Muslim versus non-Muslim political conflict. It has no bearing on Sabah and Sarawak, and they shouldn’t drag us into their argument.
“It’s not about the 18 per cent electorate, nor ‘one person, one vote.’ This is about correcting history, not using today’s standards to look back into history. Any arguments based on post-1965 standards are irrelevant. It’s nonsense,” he said.
Chin argued that Malayan NGOs, attempting to impose ‘one man, one vote’ in Sabah and Sarawak, are simply trying to keep the status quo.
If Sabah and Sarawak agree to the one man one vote, he said, the Malayan NGOs would find it easier to convince Malaya to adopt the ‘one man, one vote’ principle for the whole of Malaya.
“That is why they are pushing so hard for Sabah and Sarawak to accept the one-third Dewan Negara seats which is consistent with the one man one vote principle.
Chin also addressed the Malayan NGO claims that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) does not explicitly mandate the one-third allocation for Sabah and Sarawak.
“The tactic used by Malayan NGOs is to demand ‘black-and-white’ proof that this is in MA63. But it’s simple: Ketuanan Melayu isn’t written into the Malaysia Agreement either, yet it exists.
“If they really want to change history, why don’t they push for a re-evaluation of Ketuanan Melayu ideology which is not acceptable today due to human rights?”
“Secondly, Malayan leaders initially agreed to allocate one-third of seats to Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. If they had already agreed, why would it need to be written into MA63? These NGOs use underhanded tactics and flawed arguments, easily misleading anyone unfamiliar with the facts,” he added.
For this demand to gain traction, Chin said Sabah and Sarawak must stand united.
“Some Sarawak-based NGOs have been manipulated by Malaya. They’re working against Sabah and Sarawak’s interests. We’re correcting a historical wrong. There’s nothing sensitive about it,” he added.
“Its similar to the 2021 constitutional amendment going back to the 1963 wordings. How come the Malayan NGOs didn’t say anything?”
“Ïf we use today’s standards and norms to change history then, we might as well question the entire Malaysia Agreement 1963. Are they (Malayan NGOs) willing to talk about if MA63 is valid?,” he asked.
