Reduce West Malaysia’s Representation In Parliament Now, Says DAP

DAP Chairman, Lim Guan Eng wants West Malaysia’s representation in Parliament be reduced immediately.

In a statement released on Friday, the Bagan Member of Parliament said East Malaysia’s parliamentary representation must be immediately increased from the present 25% to 35%, thereby effectively reducing West Malaysia’s parliamentary representation from the present 75% to 65%.

“This proposal is neither controversial nor contentious since no political party had so far dared to oppose the increase in the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak from the current 25% to 35%.”

“PH will support such constitutional amendments thereby ensuring its passage with the required 2/3 majority.”

Commenting on the issue, Thomas Fann who is head of the electoral reform group Bersih said that Malaysia’s democracy would be weakened if Sabah and Sarawak have a 35% quota of Parliament seats.

Contrasting Bangi (298,503 voters) in Selangor and Serian (38,135 voters) in Sarawak as an example, Thomas said Malaysian citizens would no longer be considered to have an equal vote under such a scheme.

“It’s like me wanting to give everyone a US dollar, except I give you a ringgit and I give another person a British pound,” he said in a recent interview.

For the record, Guan Eng’s calls for a reduction in West Malaysia’s Parliamentary representation appear to contradict the “one person one vote” reform he once supported.

On 11 May 2013, he had issued a statement claiming that only electoral reforms that reflect the ‘one-man, one-vote, one-value’ principle can save Malaysia’s democracy.