
New Bill to see increase in number of Sarawak state elected reps from 82 to 99
KUCHING (July 7): Sarawak will see an increase in the number of elected representatives in its State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99 under a new Bill tabled during a special sitting of the DUN today.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who tabled the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, said the proposed increase is timely and necessary to reflect Sarawak's demographic changes, urban expansion, and growing demand for equitable representation.
'The DUN must remain dynamic and responsive to the evolving needs of our people. Over the years, we have witnessed significant demographic changes, urban extension, and increasing demand for fair representation,' he told the august House.
MORE TO COME
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Borneo Post
35 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
Redelineation exercise: Civil action group ROSE calls on Sarawak voters to act as objectors
Geoffrey Tang KUCHING (July 7): Civil action group Rise of Social Efforts (ROSE) has called on the public, particular voters, to play their role in the redelineation exercise for Sarawak's electoral boundaries. ROSE president Geoffrey Tang pointed out the Federal Constitution provides a mechanism for public participation in the process. 'Your role as a voter is to become an objector,' he said in a statement. 'If you believe that proposed new boundaries are unfair, split your community (which do not follow the principle of maintaining of local ties), dilute your cultural representation, you have the right to file representations or objection letters to the Election Commission (EC).' Tang called on all concerned citizens to stay informed and consider becoming objectors if necessary. 'Join ROSE in defending electoral fairness,' he suggested. Tang said ROSE will launch an outreach campaign to educate the public on the delineation process, including how to become an objector, how to read proposed maps, and how to mobilise communities to organise in groups of at least 100 voters in any affected constituency. Those interested can register at Tang said ROSE believes the proposed increase would likely affect all future election outcomes in the state including the impending state election due by January 2027. 'Therefore, every Sarawakian should take this moment seriously and understand its consequences. 'ROSE urges all Sarawakians to take note of the following key facts. Once the Ordinance is gazetted, the EC will initiate a process called redelineation, which is the process of re-drawing of new electoral boundaries,' he explained. He also pointed out that the process must comply with the constitutional requirements set in the Federal Constitution. 'Redelineation of boundaries, whether parliamentary boundaries are changed or not, has to be approved by the Prime Minister and Parliament,' he added. Sarawak will see an increase in the number of elected representatives in its State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99 under a new Bill tabled during a special sitting of the DUN today. Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who tabled the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, said the proposed increase is timely and necessary to reflect Sarawak's demographic changes, urban expansion, and growing demand for equitable representation.


Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Bill's proposed 99 DUN constituencies should lead to corresponding increase of parliamentary seats, says don
Prof Dr James Chin MIRI (July 7): The Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, which will see an increase in the number of elected representatives in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99 comes as no surprise, said Prof Dr James Chin. The political analyst and professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania said speculation on the increase had been circulating for the past two years, particularly during the last parliamentary election. 'This is not new. The only surprise for many is that the number settled at 99, when some had anticipated it would go up to 101 or 102,' he said when contacted after Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah tabled the Bill during today's special DUN sitting. Chin emphasised that the more significant development would be an increase in the number of parliamentary seats for Sarawak and Sabah. He pointed out it is typical that an increase in state seats would lead to a corresponding increase in parliamentary seats, although the Sarawak DUN itself has no authority to change parliamentary representation. Chin stressed the importance of increasing parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak, in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). 'I am more concerned about the parliamentary seats. It is very important for both Sabah and Sarawak to eventually hold one-third of the seats in Parliament, as enshrined under MA63,' he said. He added that any increase in parliamentary seats would require a redelineation exercise, which is long overdue in Sarawak. 'The last redelineation was carried out in 2015. The process to add new parliamentary seats would take a minimum of two years, and it requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament. 'While that may be a significant hurdle, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim currently has the numbers to push it through,' he said. When tabling the Bill today, Abdul Karim had said that the proposed increase is timely and necessary to reflect Sarawak's demographic changes, urban expansion, and growing demand for equitable representation. He said the DUN must remain dynamic and responsive to the evolving needs of its people. 'Over the years, we have witnessed significant demographic changes, urban extension, and increasing demand for fair representation,' he told the august House. He also noted that Sarawak's vast geographical landscape and the extensive areas that rural constituencies warrant more representation to enhance governance and improve service delivery. 'This proposed increase in the number of elected representatives is both reasonable and necessary. 'It will enhance accessibility to governance, ensure the needs and concerns of the rakyat are more efficiently and effectively addressed, and improve service delivery through leadership that is closer and more responsive to the rakyat,' he said.


Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Assembly seat expansion in Sarawak needed to match population growth, say GPS reps
KUCHING, July 7 — The 82-seat composition of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is no longer adequate to meet the evolving needs of the state's growing population, said Chieng Jin Ek (GPS–Bukit Assek). He described the structure as outdated, noting that it was last revised in 2014. 'The demands of the people, constituency workloads, and policy complexities have all grown significantly. 'Many assemblymen, particularly those representing large or densely populated constituencies, are overstretched in their efforts to serve tens of thousands of voters across vast areas,' he said during the debate on the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly sitting here today. The bill, tabled by Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, seeks to increase the number of elected representatives from 82 to 99. Abdul Karim said the proposed expansion is intended to reflect demographic shifts, ongoing urban development, and the growing need for balanced and fair representation across the state. Supporting the bill, Kennedy Chukpai Ugon (GPS-Murum) noted that the proposed increase aligns with Sarawak's vast geographical landscape, which includes many sparsely populated rural areas. 'Historically, rural communities have faced difficulties in having their voices heard in the legislative process, often overshadowed by more urban constituencies,' he said. Christopher Gira Sambang (GPS-Tamin) added that the bill embodies the principles of equitable development and effective governance. 'The addition of 17 new state seats represents a critical recalibration of our democratic structure. I sincerely hope this move will also lead to a corresponding increase in Sarawak's parliamentary seats in the near future,' he said. — Bernama