Sarawak assembly still waiting on EC greenlight for 17 new constituencies, speaker says

 

The Sarawak legislative assembly has yet to hear from the Election Commission (EC) on the proposed addition of 17 new state seats.

Speaker Asfia Awang Nassar said that while the increase has already been approved by the state assembly, the EC will have to prepare its report based on ground-level studies before the suggested redelineation can proceed to the next stage.

“There is no report yet from the EC on whether the 17 new constituencies have been confirmed… For now, we are waiting for verification from the EC - after that, (the report) will be displayed and then brought to Parliament.

“We have yet to hear from the EC or the federal government, but the state assembly has already made a clear decision,” Asfia was quoted as saying by The Borneo Post yesterday.

In July last year, the Sarawak assembly approved a bill to increase the number of state constituencies from 82 to 99.

On March 8, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Mustapha Sakmud said he hoped the EC could expedite its study on the Sarawak proposal.

Sarawak legislative assembly

The EC must complete the delineation process by July 14, 2027.

More practical delineation process

Meanwhile, Asfia highlighted that the new constituencies could be implemented during the next general election if the process is completed in time.

He also stressed yesterday that redelineation should be based on geographical factors rather than population size.

Emphasising the logistical challenges of managing vast constituencies, he recalled that in the past, travelling across Kuala Rajang required a helicopter to refuel four times, while Baram required three refuelling stops.

“How can one MP manage such a large area? Approval should not be based on population alone, but on geography.

“In coastal areas, for instance, fishing workers operate across boundaries, making population-based delineation less practical,” he said.

As an example, he argued that Bintulu, the largest parliamentary constituency in Sarawak, which covers four state seats, should be split into two parliamentary constituencies as it is “not practical” for one parliamentary constituency to cover four state assemblypersons.

Electoral map allegedly leaked

Earlier this month, a leader of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) rubbished accusations that his coalition had allocated the 17 proposed new seats to its component parties.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah insisted that the rumours have no standing as the seats have yet to be delineated by the EC.

His remarks were in response to a leaked document circulating online, which alleged that PBB would receive 10 of the new seats, while the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) would get three each, and the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) one.

Sunway University political scientist Wong Chin Huat previously highlighted that if the eventual map put forth by the EC looks similar to the one in the leaked document, then the EC would appear to be drawing the Sarawak electoral map in “accordance with GPS’ instructions”. - Mkini