KOTA KINABALU: A coalition of 11 NGOs from Sabah and Sarawak has expressed their opposition to a proposal that would allocate more than one-third of the seats in the Dewan Negara to these two states.
In a joint statement reported by FMT, the NGOs criticized the initiative as “disingenuous” and “an affront to the people of Sabah and Sarawak.”
The group emphasized that a non-elected chamber lacks the legitimacy to represent the interests of Sabah and Sarawak. They pointed out that if the Dewan Negara held significant power, leaders from Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah), and Sarawak would have sought a third of the Senate seats back in 1963, asserting that true authority does not reside within the Senate.
The NGOs involved include the Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspiration, Dayak International Organisation, Moningolig Pogun Tokou (Defenders of Ancestral Lands Sabah), the Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo, and Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah. Additional supporters of the statement include Gabungan Orang Asal Sarawak, Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak, Sarawak Institute of International Affairs, Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights, Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now, and the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association.
They argued that a more appropriate “historical correction” would involve redistributing the Dewan Rakyat seats that were allocated to Singapore prior to its departure from the federation in 1965 to Sabah and Sarawak. When Malaysia was established as a federation in 1963, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore collectively held over 34% of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
This response comes in light of support from groups such as Bersih, Tindak Malaysia, Rise of Social Efforts, and ENGAGE for a proposal that would grant East Malaysia veto power in the Senate, aimed at honoring the spirit of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. Advocacy group Projek Sama had previously suggested that adding 15 Senate seats each for Sabah and Sarawak could provide them with one-third veto power to prevent any unilateral constitutional amendments by Peninsular Malaysia.
Sabah and Sarawak currently have only 7.1% representation in the Senate.
Projek Sama said the proposal, dubbed Dewan Negara 35/100, would give East Malaysia 35% of Senate seats and ensure that Sabah and Sarawak have a stronger voice in the legislative process.
