A Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah leader has warned PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari against interfering in the political affairs of Sabah and Sarawak, following the federal government’s move to increase parliamentary representation for the two states.
Gagasan Rakyat vice-president Masiung Banah accused Fadhli of attempting to create hostility between the Bornean states and Putrajaya through his remarks on the proposed increase in parliamentary seats.
Sabah, Sarawak have right to demand more seats
“We have the right to demand one-third of parliamentary seats because that is enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“It doesn’t matter which prime minister announces the constitutional amendment to allow for the addition of seats, because the ‘Borneo bloc’ has been demanding this right under MA63 for a long time,” he said in a statement.
The Kuamut assemblyman said Sabah political parties respected their counterparts in the peninsula, including PAS, but described Fadhli’s remarks as unacceptable.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Sept 11 that the government would amend the constitution to allow for an increase in parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak in accordance with MA63.
Masiung rejects Fadhli’s warning
On Monday, Fadhli warned leaders in Sabah and Sarawak not to “plunge down the ravine with Anwar”.
Masiung said Fadhli should preserve PAS’s integrity and leave it to the leaders of Sabah and Sarawak to make decisions for their respective states.
He also rejected what he described as PAS’s “fanatical approach” in Sabah and Sarawak.
Call to respect Borneo’s political unity
“PAS’s fanatical approach has no place in Sabah and Sarawak. The people of Borneo are already renowned for our spirit of unity and mutual respect despite having different political leanings,” he said.
