SABAH and Sarawak’s share of parliamentary seats must be increased to 35% immediately to block out Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) racism and extremism, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng said.

According to Lim, this will also stop BN and PN from covering up their collective failure in managing the economy.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament & Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the government was still in preliminary discussions about increasing Sabah and Sarawak’s share of seats in parliament to 35% of total.

He added that it will not be implemented in time for the next election.

“This should not stop a constitutional amendment to put this into practice,” Lim said in his Malaysia Day message today.

“This proposal should be enshrined in the Federal Constitution now, to be implemented in future.

“It is neither controversial nor contentious, since no political party had so far dared to oppose it.”

The Bagan MP said that should the amendment be brought before the House, Pakatan Harapan (PH) will vote to ensure that it passes.

“Enshrining the 35% principle in the Federal Constitution is crucial when BN and PN – including its non-Muslim ministers – have kept silent and lent their tacit support to PAS’s overt extremism and racism, eroding the rights of non-Muslims.”

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has branded PH “bribe takers and receivers” and rejected working with the coalition.

He also accused the coalition of being anti-Islam.

This is not the first time the Marang MP has made such remarks. Recently, he was interviewed by police after saying non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras were mostly responsible for corruption in Malaysia.

He is currently being investigated under section 505 (C) of the penal code for issuing statements likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community of persons, and section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities or network services.

“Using racism and extremism is a useful device to cover up the failed economic management and ministerial incompetence, which has led to financial hardship caused by rising inflation.

“(We also have) a rapidly depreciating ringgit – which dropped to a 24 year low of RM4.54 to the US dollar yesterday – a severe labour shortage, inconsistent policy making and U-turns, bureaucratic red-tape and poor governance.

“Malaysia, especially Sabah and Sarawak, cannot afford racists and extremists to run and ruin the country,” Lim added. – September 16, 2022.