Break up ‘too large’ parliamentary seats, say MPs

2026-03-09 - 00:44

Shah Alam MP Azli Yusof and Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said serious attention should be given to solving imbalances in Peninsular Malaysia parliamentary constituencies. PETALING JAYA: Two MPs have urged the government to break up parliamentary constituencies in Peninsular Malaysia that have grown too large for representatives to serve their constituents. They made the call to solve the imbalances in parliamentary constituencies, even as Sabah and Sarawak have called for more seats to be created in the two states. Shah Alam MP Azli Yusof of Amanah and Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah Wee Tse of PKR said the call was aimed at improving services in constituencies. Puah gave the example of the Tebrau and Bangi constituencies with 223,000 to more than 300,000 voters respectively at the November 2022 general election. “For constituencies that have become too large, it is time to create new seats so MPs can focus more effectively on the welfare of their constituents,” he told FMT. Puah also said that MPs receive the same government allocation regardless of the size of their electorate. “This means voters in larger constituencies like Tebrau do not receive services that are in proportion to their numbers,” he said. Azli said the rationale for adding seats in Peninsular Malaysia should be to strengthen constituency services, unlike in Sabah and Sarawak, where the push may be to increase representation in the Dewan Rakyat. “The primary basis for adding seats or carry out boundary changes is to ensure MPs can serve the people better,” he said. Sabah and Sarawak’s call for more seats is among the issues being negotiated in the meetings on implementing state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963. Sabah (25 seats) and Sarawak (31 seats) make up a quarter of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat. Politicians in the two states have lobbied for the East Malaysia share to be raised to one-third of the house. Last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government had agreed in principle to increase the number of seats in the two states, taking into account the size of the electorates. He said there was currently no commitment to raise their share to one-third, but the government remained committed to increasing the number based on need. On Feb 26 this year, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the review of electoral boundaries in Sabah and Sarawak had been completed. For states in Peninsular Malaysia, the eight-year interval from the previous redelineation exercise will end on March 9. Azalina said the Election Commission can only conduct a review after eight years have passed since the last exercise, or if there is a legal amendment involving the composition of the Dewan Rakyat or state legislative assemblies.