Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said this was agreed on by the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) implementation action council at a meeting on Sept 12.

Azalina said Putrajaya’s legal affairs division was supposed to prepare a memorandum for the Cabinet to consider after it was tabled to the MA63 action council.

“However, the MA63 council decided on Sept 12, 2024, that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and attorney-general’s departments of Sabah and Sarawak would review the interpretation and legitimacy of this ‘safeguard’ from a legal perspective.

“The AGC is in the midst of taking the necessary action on this matter,” she said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply.

The current Dewan Rakyat comprises 222 members, with 25 from Sabah and 31 from Sarawak for a combined 25.2% share of the voting power.

Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg had said that possessing a third of the representation would be crucial for the Borneo states to prevent the federal government from trying to nullify the provisions of MA63.

When Malaysia was formed in 1963, Malaya was allocated 105 of the 160 seats in the Dewan Rakyat (representing 65% of the house), with Sarawak holding 24 seats, Sabah, 16, and Singapore, 15.

The non-Malayan share of 34.6% provided them with veto power over constitutional changes, which require a two-third majority of the Dewan Rakyat. However, when Singapore left the federation in 1965, the non-Malayan share dropped to 27% of the 144 seats in the house.

Azalina also said the AGC had not received any official proposal for Sabah and Sarawak to be allocated an additional 15 Senate seats each through amendments to the constitution.

“This matter was also not discussed in the MA63 action council meeting,” she said.