Tupong assemblyman questions DAP's non-support for addition of DUN seats
KUCHING (July 8): Tupong assemblyman Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman has questioned the logic behind the Democratic Action Party (DAP)'s reluctance in supporting the proposed increase of seats in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).
Debating the DUN (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025, during a special sitting yesterday, Fazzrudin expressed bewilderment at what he described as DAP's inconsistent stance, calling it 'a clear sign of political confusion'.
'I am baffled that members from the Opposition, particularly Pending and Padungan, oppose increasing state seats, yet (they) support adding parliamentary seats. This inconsistency is difficult to comprehend,' he pointed out.
The Bill, tabled by Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, proposes to increase the number of elected DUN Sarawak members from the present 82 to 99, following the constitutional provision that allows for a review after eight years.
Fazzrudin, also the chief political secretary to the Sarawak Premier, said the Opposition's claims that the seat increase would benefit Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) politically were 'premature and unfounded'.
'The role of the DUN today is only to decide whether or not we agree to increase the seats.
'The redelineation process after that is under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission (EC), not GPS.
'The EC, which falls under the federal government's jurisdiction, will handle the technical aspects including public objections and final approvals.'
Fazzrudin lambasted DAP representatives for suggesting that the move was politically motivated.
'How is it fair that a large area like Hulu Rajang, which is the size of Pahang, is represented by only three state seats? Shouldn't we be looking at geographic realities too, not just population?' he said.
Fazzrudin stressed that having more representatives would translate to more allocations of resources and better development for rural and underrepresented areas, aligning with Sarawak's long-term development goals.
'The idea of 'one person, one vote' must also consider the physical size and development needs of a constituency. A larger area with only one ADUN (assemblyman) cannot be effectively served.'
He also reminded the House that the proposed redelineation was in line with Malaysia's founding agreements, citing the need to restore the one-third parliamentary seat representation for Sarawak and Sabah, a provision originally safeguarded during the formation of Malaysia.
'This is the first step towards restoring that balance.
'Once, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore together held one-third of the seats in Parliament. That balance must be reinstated to ensure that no law detrimental to our rights is passed without any proper check.'
The Bill is expected to proceed to the next stage of the legislative process, pending approval from the EC, and eventual endorsement by the federal government.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
17 minutes ago
- The Star
S'wak State Assembly: 17 new state seats would add RM140mil to annual spending, says NGO
KUCHING: A Sarawak-based NGO has raised concerns about the financial and electoral implications of increasing the state legislative assembly's membership from 82 to a record 99. Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (ROSE) said the addition of 17 new members would involve an increase of nearly 21% in the state's annual expenditure on salaries for assemblymen and constituency development funds. It estimated that the additional expenditure would come up to RM140mil a year. ALSO READ: Having more seats favours GPS "We question the prudence of this allocation, especially when administrative and developmental responsibilities largely fall on the 12 Resident's Offices and 26 local authorities across the state. "We call for serious consideration to redirect or allocate a portion of these funds to these local government institutions on the frontlines of public service delivery so that they are better resourced for more effective delivery," ROSE said in a statement on Tuesday (July 8). On Monday (July 7), the Sarawak Legislative Assembly passed the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 to increase its membership to 99 elected representatives. State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, when tabling the Bill, said the increase was timely and necessary to reflect Sarawak's demographic changes, development and growing demand for more equitable representation. ROSE said Sarawak currently had 2,017,772 registered voters, meaning that the average number of voters per state constituency would drop to 20,381 with the increase in seats. ALSO READ: Sarawak passes bill to increase assembly seats "This raises questions about whether such a move is truly representative or equitable," it said. The NGO called for a comprehensive review of electoral boundaries and processes to ensure that representation was based on clear demographic, geographic and administrative justifications. It also reiterated the need to extend the duration of state assembly sittings from the current 16 days per year to ensure sufficient time for robust debate, legislative scrutiny and policy oversight. "This is especially concerning for a state that manages a GDP of RM150bil and an annual state budget of RM15bil. "Sarawakians deserve a more active, transparent and accountable legislature that serves as true checks and balances on executive power," ROSE said.
Borneo Post
22 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
ROSE claims additional DUN members to require extra RM140 mln funds, calls for redirection of allocations to local authorities
ROSE also called for the duration of DUN sittings to be extended urgently. KUCHING (July 8): The passing of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025 yesterday, which will see 17 new members in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), will have a direct financial implication on the state's annual expenditures, said Geoffrey Tang. The president of civil action group Rise of Social Efforts (ROSE) said the 20.7 per cent increase in DUN members would likely see emoluments for assemblypersons and constituency development funds (CDFs) rise by nearly 21 per cent to around an extra RM140 million each year. ROSE questioned the prudence of this allocation, especially when administrative and developmental responsibilities largely fall on the 12 Residents' offices and 26 local authorities across the state, he said. 'We call for serious consideration to redirect or allocate a portion of these funds to these local government institutions that are on the frontlines of public service delivery so that they are better resourced for more effective delivery,' Tang said in a statement. He also called for the duration of DUN sittings to be extended urgently. 'With only two sittings of eight days each totalling only 16 days per year, there is insufficient time for robust debate, legislative scrutiny, and policy oversight,' he argued. 'This is especially concerning for a state that manages a GDP (gross domestic product) of RM150 billion and an annual state budget of RM15 billion.' Tang said Sarawakians deserve a more active, transparent, and accountable legislature that gives true checks and balances on executive power. He pointed out that with a registered voter base of 2,017,772, Sarawak now accounts for 9.2 per cent of Malaysia's total voters. 'Yet, with the increased number of seats, the average number of voters per DUN constituency drops to just 20,381, raising questions about whether such a move is truly representative or equitable. 'ROSE calls for a comprehensive review of electoral boundaries and processes to ensure that representation is based on clear demographic, geographic, and administrative justifications, not merely political convenience,' he said. He also called on the public to engage critically and demand greater transparency in how such decisions are made, stressing that electoral and democratic reforms must not be reduced to mere numbers but must reflect the people's voice, needs, and aspirations. It is understood that the Bill will now be brought to Parliament for federal approval. Once both legislative bodies have endorsed the Bill, the Election Commission (EC) will be tasked with conducting a redelineation exercise. The last increase was in 2014 when the number of DUN seats rose from 71 to 82. Previous increases were in 1995, from 56 seats to 62, and 2005, from 62 seats to 71. DUN Sarawak Geoffrey Tang lead ROSE
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Abdul Karim: Only EC, not Sarawak govt, can decide on more parliamentary seats
KUCHING, July 8 — There is currently no agreement on the number of new parliamentary seats for Sarawak, said Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah. He clarified that while the state has successfully expanded its State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats from 82 to 99, any increase in parliamentary representation must be decided by the Election Commission (EC) and approved by the federal government through Parliament. 'There is no agreement yet on the number of parliamentary seats for Sarawak. The state government has no authority to decide this. 'Parliamentary seats fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government and the EC. Any increase would require constitutional amendments and endorsement in Parliament,' he added when speaking at a press conference after the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025 was passed during a special sitting of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday. He also emphasised that the DUN's role was confined to the composition of state seats too. 'We can propose and deliberate state seats, but for parliamentary constituencies, it must be tabled in Parliament and the Federal Constitution has to be amended. That's the proper channel. 'Sarawak's move today was a separate constitutional exercise focused solely on the state level. While the redelineation of the 17 new state constituencies now falls to the EC. 'They will determine where these new seats will be located. We have no influence over that. 'Any accusation of gerrymandering directed at the state government is therefore unfounded and unfair to the EC, which is an independent body appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after consultation with the Conference of Rulers,' he said. Responding to suggestions that the state seat increase may act as a precursor to parliamentary seat expansion, Abdul Karim agreed it may help pave the way. 'It will be easier for the EC to partition new parliamentary seats from these 17 additional state constituencies in the future. 'If eight or more can be derived, it would help us move closer to the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), where Sabah and Sarawak should ideally hold one-third of the seats in Parliament,' he said. He further explained that the decision to increase the DUN seats to 99 was both strategic and symbolic. 'There's no fixed number stated in the Constitution. But 99 is the highest double-digit figure before we encroach into three-digit territory, which is associated with Parliament. And if you notice, our DUN building has 9 pillars, 9 arcs, and 9 floors. So, 99 feels fitting,' he said. Meanwhile when asked about the timeline for the EC to complete its delineation work, Abdul Karim said that responsibility lies entirely with the commission. 'Our job ends with tabling and passing the Bill. It is now up to the EC to carry out their duties,' he said. He also dismissed criticism from Opposition members regarding the cost and timing of the exercise, calling them politically motivated. 'We've done this before, four or five times. It's within our legal rights, and there's nothing improper about it,' he said. Sarawak last increased its state seats in 2015, when 11 new constituencies were added. The current move, which sees an addition of 17, marks the largest expansion of state seats in Sarawak's history. 'The move reflects our commitment to ensure Sarawak is well represented, fairly governed, and prepared for the future. It's a necessary and constitutional evolution,' said Abdul Karim. — The Borneo Post
