By WU VUIDE
TAMPARULI: The United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) will submit a proposal on the review of parliamentary and state constituency boundaries to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Its president, Datuk Ewon Benedick, said the party had received several suggestions calling for a boundary review, involving Kota Belud, Penampang and Sepanggar.
“In Kota Belud, Upko’s resolution is to request that the Kota Belud parliamentary seat be split into two, as we already have four state seats there,” he said this when officiating the Upko Tuaran Triennial General Meeting at Dewan Tun Hamdan, Tamparuli.
Similarly, he said in Penampang, Upko proposes a review of electoral boundaries to add one more parliamentary seat and two state seats.
“For Tuaran, I hope Upko Tuaran will submit a proposal on whether the constituency should be maintained as it is or reviewed,” he said.
Ewon, who is also Deputy Chief Minister III and Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister said the Sabah Cabinet had previously discussed the need for a review of electoral boundaries for parliamentary and state constituencies in the state.
“All parties have been asked to submit their proposals to the Chief Minister. I believe component parties in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are also reviewing this at party level,” he said.
He added that the matter had been discussed earlier, including in the Special Action Council on the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), where the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department presented a paper on the matter.
For Sabah, the last increase in parliamentary seats was through the 2002–2003 electoral boundary review, which took effect in the 2004 General Election.
Meanwhile, Upko Tuaran division has passed a resolution urging the Federal Government to obtain the consent of the Sabah Government before introducing any amendments to federal laws involving Sabah’s rights, powers and interests as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Upko Tuaran Information Chief Salbinous Saribun said any amendments to the Federal Constitution, federal laws or national policies affecting Sabah’s rights, autonomy, jurisdiction or interests must first undergo a consultation process and obtain consent as required under Article 161E of the Federal Constitution and the spirit of MA63.
He said Upko Tuaran also proposed the establishment of a permanent, formal, structured and legally binding consultation mechanism to ensure Sabah and Sarawak are mandatorily involved in all legislative or policy amendments affecting the two regions.
“Upko Tuaran also proposes that the Federal Government establish a commission or independent committee to review all constitutional and federal law amendments since 1963 affecting Sabah and Sarawak, and to recommend corrections if they are found inconsistent with MA63, the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and Article 161E of the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Ewon officiating Upko Tuaran Triennial General Meeting.
