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Borneo Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
DUN Speaker: Bill tabled to increase number of seats amid voter surge, geographic challenges
Asfia speaks at the press conference. Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING (July 5): A sharp rise in voter numbers, combined with the vast size of Sarawak's constituencies and challenging terrain, has prompted the state government to propose increasing the number of elected members in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN). DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar said the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025 will be tabled during a one-day sitting on July 7. He said the proposed increase is necessary to reflect demographic shifts and address the logistical difficulties of serving remote areas. 'Since 2014, much water has passed under the bridge. The lowering of the voting age to 18 has triggered a sudden and staggering increase in the number of voters. 'There is an increase in the expectations of the people and voters, creating a new scenario for leaders and elected representatives. 'The sheer sizes of both parliamentary and state constituencies in Sarawak are gargantuan. This is exacerbated by difficult terrain and nightmarish logistics,' he said at a press conference held at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here today. Asfia said the DUN currently has 82 elected members. The last increase was in 2014, when the number of seats rose from 71 to 82. Earlier increases were in 2005 (from 62 to 71) and 1995 (from 56 to 62). The proposed Bill will be tabled by Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah. 'First, second, and third readings will all take place on July 7. 'Government backbenchers and Opposition members can debate the Bill during this sitting,' said Asfia. The meeting will begin at 9am at the DUN Chambers, Level 8 of the DUN building. He added that the last review of seat composition was more than eight years ago, in line with Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, which allows for such reviews after a minimum interval of eight years. On allegations of gerrymandering, Asfia dismissed concerns and explained the origin of the term. 'The delineation in Sarawak does not make N26 Gedong, which is the Premier's constituency, the shape of a salamander,' he said, referring to the historical example of Governor Eldridge Gerry's redistricting in 1812 Massachusetts. 'The Premier can win hands down in N26 Gedong without changing the constituency. The delineation is done by the Election Commission, not the DUN or the state government,' he added.
Borneo Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Sarawak DUN to table Bill on increasing assembly seats on July 7
Asfia (centre) flanked by Deputy Speaker Dato Idris Buang (left) and DUN secretary Nur Azhar Bujan holds up the documents for the media after the press conference. — Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING (July 5): A special one-day sitting of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) has been scheduled on July 7 to table the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, which seeks to increase the number of elected members in the Assembly. DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar announced this during a press conference at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here today. 'On June 18, I received a directive from the Premier to convene the State Legislative Assembly on July 7, for a one-day sitting,' he said, adding that the meeting will begin at 9am at the DUN Chambers on Level 8 of the DUN Complex. The Bill will be tabled by Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, with the first, second and third readings all to be carried out on the same day. Asfia said the Bill proposes to amend the composition of DUN membership, which currently stands at 82 elected members and was last increased from 71 seats in 2014. 'The last increase was in 2014, when the number of seats was raised from 71 to 82. That was 11 years ago,' he said. 'Under Article 14(1)(b) of the Sarawak Constitution, the Dewan has the power to increase its composition, and there is no maximum limit stated.' He explained that the Bill only requires a simple majority to pass, not two-thirds, as provided under Article 41(3)(a) of the Sarawak Constitution. 'Clause 2 shall not apply to a Bill for making any amendment consequential or law prescribing the number of elected members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri,' Asfia said, referring to the exemption from the two-thirds requirement for changes to the DUN composition. Asfia stressed that while the DUN can increase the number of seats, the actual delineation of constituency boundaries remains under the purview of the Election Commission (EC), a federal agency. 'Let me draw a clear line of demarcation between the composition of elected members in the DUN and the delineation of constituencies on the ground,' he said. 'Delineation is not done by the DUN. It is left to EC.' Asfia also cited the Federal Constitution to justify the timing of the proposed increase. 'Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution allows an increase in composition after an interval of not less than eight years,' he said. In terms of electoral context, Asfia said the lowering of the voting age to 18 has led to a 'staggering increase in the number of voters,' especially in vast and geographically challenging constituencies in Sarawak. He highlighted that Hulu Rajang spans 34,080 square kilometres, and Baram covers 22,075 square kilometres—both larger than the combined size of Perlis and Malacca. Bintulu, he added, has the highest number of voters at 113,599. 'The elected representatives are prisoners of geography in these colossal constituencies,' he remarked. Responding to questions from reporters, Asfia declined to reveal the proposed number of additional seats, saying: 'I will leave that entirely to the Minister who tables the Bill. I only speak on the legal interpretation and reasons for the increase.' When asked whether the move would lead to a similar increase at the federal parliamentary level, Asfia said: 'Parliamentary seats are outside the ambit and jurisdiction of the DUN Sarawak. They require a two-thirds majority in the National Parliament.' A notice for the one-day sitting was issued on June 20, 2025, in accordance with Standing Order 8(3), which allows for an early sitting if deemed in the public interest by the Chief Minister.
Borneo Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Dismissal of motion to review Premier, Cabinet's travel expenses a ‘planned charade', says Chong
Chong says what the Speaker did earlier today has undermined the function of the DUN on providing an oversight on the Executives. – Photo by Roystein Emmor KUCHING (May 28): Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen is unhappy that a motion submitted by him at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) was dismissed by Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar. In a statement, he said what the Speaker did earlier today has undermined the function of the DUN on providing an oversight on the Executives. 'The main reason it has come to such is because of the overpowering 80-2 majority the GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) enjoys in the DUN sitting. If such unbalanced government to opposition ratio continues, more extravagance and wastage of public funds will be kept from public eyes and swept under the carpet,' said the Democratic Action Party Sarawak chairman. He was referring to the motion seeking review of the Speaker's decision to disallow the question by Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong on the detailed expenses of the Premier and Cabinet ministers official overseas trips. Asfia had cited multiple procedural and substantive breaches under the DUN's Standing Orders in dismissing the motion. Chong was also unhappy that Asfia allowed Wilfred Yap (GPS-Kota Sentosa) to speak on the motion without even allowing him, the mover of the motion, to start debate on it. He described this as a 'planned charade'. 'He (Asfia) seems to have subscribed to the claim by ADUN for Kota Sentosa that I should go and ask the Prime Minister on the expenses of the Prime Minister and federal Cabinet ministers' official oversea trips. For the information of the Speaker and the ADUN for Kota Sentosa, information of the expenses of the Prime Minister and the federal ministers' official trip has been made public in a parliament answer. 'If the federal government can reply such a question in Parliament, there is no justification why the state government cannot reply such a question in DUN. The Speaker's reliance on foreign investment to justify the huge oversea trips expenditure of the state ministers is misplaced,' he said. He pointed out in the supplementary supply bill for 2025, it was mentioned the Premier's office alone needed RM100 million as its 'rental for air-chartered service'. He said that figure does not even include the expenses for official oversea trips of the other 10 ministers and 26 deputy ministers. 'Last year, the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Public Health alone, sought additional RM3 million for overseas trips. 'Even taking the Premier's office's RM100 million rental of air-chartered expenditure alone without counting the overseas trips of other ministries, it is still too extravagant given that the whole of the federal cabinet's oversea trips in 2024 was only RM44 million,' he said. Chong was referring to the ruling by Asfia on May 26 in dismissing a question by Yong concerning the overseas travel expenses. Asfia had stated that the costs involved were merely a 'pittance' and 'trivial' compared to the billions in foreign investments the state has successfully attracted. 'If we compare the foreign investment, the country attracted a total RM378.5 billion while Sarawak attracted RM14.12 billion – 3.7 per cent of the country's FDI. In contrast, the RM100 million is more than double the RM44 million spent by the whole federal cabinet on oversea trips,' he said.
Borneo Post
18-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
DUN Speaker: Six Bills to be tabled at DUN sitting from May 19 to 28
Asfia (centre) holds up the prepared text of his statement delivered during the press conference. Also seen are Idris (left) and Nur Azhar. KUCHING (May 18): A total of six Bills are scheduled to be tabled during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, which will convene for eight days from tomorrow (May 19) to May 28 at the DUN Complex here, said DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar today. According to him, the six Bills include two Supplementary Supply Bills – the Supplementary Supply (2024) Bill, 2025, and the Supplementary Supply (2025) Bill, 2025. Also slated for tabling are the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Land Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Infrastructure Development Trust Fund (Dissolution) Bill, 2025. 'Two of the Bills are supplementary supply Bills, while the others involve amendments to existing laws, with the exception of the Bill concerning the dissolution of the Development Infrastructure Trust Fund,' he said during a press conference at the DUN Complex new media room here. He revealed that the Supplementary Supply (2024) Bill, 2025, the Supplementary Supply (2025) Bill, 2025, and the Infrastructure Development Trust Fund (Dissolution) Bill, 2025 will be tabled by Deputy Premier and Minister for Finance and New Economy, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. The Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on the other hand, will be tabled by Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn. 'The Land Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 will be presented by Deputy Premier and Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan. 'Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, will table the Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2025,' he said. Apart from that, Asfia also disclosed that 320 questions have been submitted by 41 assemblymen, comprising 247 oral questions and 73 written ones and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Port Development and the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government received the highest number of questions. Although no private member's Bills or motions were submitted for this sitting, a motion for the election of a member to the Dewan Negara (Senate) will however be tabled on the fourth day of the sitting on May 22. 'The opening ceremony of the sitting will be officiated by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, on Monday, May 19 at 9am, with Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi also in attendance,' he said. Also present at the press conference were DUN Deputy Speaker Dato Idris Buang and DUN Secretary Nur Azhar Bujang. DUN sitting Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar tabling Bill
