By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) takes note of the suggestion by Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan that Tawau should receive additional parliamentary seats due to its growing number of voters.
While the concern over voter size and effective representation is valid, the proposal is far too narrow and misses the real issue.
The question is not why only Tawau should get more seats. The question is why Sabah and Sarawak are still denied fair parliamentary weight in the Federation.
At the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the federal Parliament was structured in a way that gave Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore together about 35% of the seats, ensuring that the Borneo side would not be politically drowned by Peninsular dominance. Today, that balance is gone. Sabah and Sarawak now hold only 56 out of 222 seats, or just over 25% of the Dewan Rakyat. Even if Labuan is counted, the figure is only about 25.7%. That is nowhere near 35%.
Let us be blunt:
Sabah and Sarawak do not have a Tawau problem. They have a structural under-representation problem.
This is not merely about population growth in one district.
This is about the erosion of the political balance that was supposed to underpin the Federation.
If 35% is to be restored in a 222-seat Dewan Rakyat, Sabah and Sarawak should collectively hold about 78 seats. That means the Borneo states are short by around 22 seats.
So why are some leaders asking for scraps?
Why ask for one or two extra seats in Tawau when the real demand should be:
Restore Sabah and Sarawak’s rightful parliamentary weight in line with the spirit of Malaysia’s founding arrangement.
Anything less risks trivialising a constitutional issue into a mere constituency management matter.
BoPiMaFo therefore calls for a shift in the national conversation:
1. Not just extra seats for Tawau
2. Not just minor electoral adjustments
3. But a serious national commitment to restore fair and meaningful Borneo representation in Parliament
> Sabah and Sarawak were not meant to be passengers in Malaysia. They were founding partners. Founding partners do not beg for token seats.
The time has come to stop thinking district by district, and start thinking structurally.
The real demand is not Tawau plus one. The real demand is Borneo at 35%.
