Latest news with #PeterJohnJaban
Borneo Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Social activist: Redelineation process must be better and relevant, not just bigger
Peter John Jaban KOTA SAMARAHAN (July 9): The coming redelineation exercise by the Election Commission (EC) must improve actual representation, said social activist Peter John Jaban. In a statement yesterday, he said the redelineation exercise and allocation of seats among component coalition parties must carefully consider improving representation of Sarawakians and not compound issues from outdated political paradigms. 'Representation must reflect the challenges and aspirations currently faced by the people. The last such increase was conducted in 2014 when it was a very different political and social landscape—thankfully, we have a great deal more transparency in government a decade later. 'But if the people of Sarawak are expected to support 17 more elected representatives, paying both their wages and pensions, then this must work for the people. Not only must it support the long-term goal of our rights in the federal parliament under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 (MA63) but it must also improve representation for the voters of Sarawak,' he said. The State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Composition of Membership Bill 2025 was passed in the august house on Monday, increasing the total number to state seats to 99. Peter John said there has been a massive rural to urban migration. 'Some estimates suggest that Sarawak is now up to 65 per cent urbanised, and the majority of those migrants have been Dayak. We are no longer living in a time when most Dayaks stayed in their traditional ancestral communities—there has been massive rural to urban migration; sometimes by choice, sometimes by necessity. 'The voter landscape of both our rural and urban areas is increasingly complex, and can no longer support the simplistic, race-based system of a decade ago. We need a redelineation that can take into account both the multi-ethnic makeup of our urban constituencies while still ensuring the specific needs of the rural population are addressed,' he said. He said there were new issues affecting ordinary Sarawakians, such as the lack of infrastructure, urban deprivation and poverty, rural connectivity and livelihoods, loss of culture and community. 'These are the concerns that our new YBs (elected representatives) must address, and the redelineation must allow them to do so without political or racial bias. 'We are in a situation where the component parties of the ruling coalition also need better representation to provide a balancing voice in the DUN for the constituents,' he said. 'This cannot just come from a small handful of opposition representatives—one of whom (Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen) was ejected from yesterday's (Monday) sitting. 'Therefore, we hope the allocation of seats takes this into account and is not dominated by one single party. The people of Sarawak need choice among parties that understand their needs, and can provide checks and balances to each other for the good of the people,' he said. Peter John said while Sarawak enjoys great racial and religious harmony and social unity, people must learn to live together and serve each other's needs as the profile of the state changes. 'This redelineation should not just be bigger, it must also be better. It must look to the challenges and issues the people are facing, and give the DUN the best chance of addressing these. 'The people must be represented in the DUN—that is the only purpose of the house. So, let us hope for the multi-ethnic, responsive and relevant DUN that we all deserve for the next decade.' election commission lead Peter John Jaban redelineation
Borneo Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
‘Redelineation process must be better and relevant, not just bigger'
Peter John Jaban KOTA SAMARAHAN (July 9): The coming redelineation exercise by the Election Commission (EC) must improve actual representation, said social activist Peter John Jaban. In a statement yesterday, he said the redelineation exercise and allocation of seats among component coalition parties must carefully consider improving representation of Sarawakians and not compound issues from outdated political paradigms. 'Representation must reflect the challenges and aspirations currently faced by the people. The last such increase was conducted in 2014 when it was a very different political and social landscape—thankfully, we have a great deal more transparency in government a decade later. 'But if the people of Sarawak are expected to support 17 more elected representatives, paying both their wages and pensions, then this must work for the people. Not only must it support the long-term goal of our rights in the federal parliament under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 (MA63) but it must also improve representation for the voters of Sarawak,' he said. The State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Composition of Membership Bill 2025 was passed in the august house on Monday, increasing the total number to state seats to 99. Peter John said there has been a massive rural to urban migration. 'Some estimates suggest that Sarawak is now up to 65 per cent urbanised, and the majority of those migrants have been Dayak. We are no longer living in a time when most Dayaks stayed in their traditional ancestral communities—there has been massive rural to urban migration; sometimes by choice, sometimes by necessity. 'The voter landscape of both our rural and urban areas is increasingly complex, and can no longer support the simplistic, race-based system of a decade ago. We need a redelineation that can take into account both the multi-ethnic makeup of our urban constituencies while still ensuring the specific needs of the rural population are addressed,' he said. He said there were new issues affecting ordinary Sarawakians, such as the lack of infrastructure, urban deprivation and poverty, rural connectivity and livelihoods, loss of culture and community. 'These are the concerns that our new YBs (elected representatives) must address, and the redelineation must allow them to do so without political or racial bias. 'We are in a situation where the component parties of the ruling coalition also need better representation to provide a balancing voice in the DUN for the constituents,' he said. 'This cannot just come from a small handful of opposition representatives—one of whom (Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen) was ejected from yesterday's (Monday) sitting. 'Therefore, we hope the allocation of seats takes this into account and is not dominated by one single party. The people of Sarawak need choice among parties that understand their needs, and can provide checks and balances to each other for the good of the people,' he said. Peter John said while Sarawak enjoys great racial and religious harmony and social unity, people must learn to live together and serve each other's needs as the profile of the state changes. 'This redelineation should not just be bigger, it must also be better. It must look to the challenges and issues the people are facing, and give the DUN the best chance of addressing these. 'The people must be represented in the DUN—that is the only purpose of the house. So, let us hope for the multi-ethnic, responsive and relevant DUN that we all deserve for the next decade.' election commission lead Peter John Jaban redelineation
New Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Re-delineation must reflect diverse Sarawak communities
KUCHING: Civil rights activist Peter John Jaban has expressed hope that the re-delineation of electoral boundaries, which will create 17 additional state seats, will fairly reflect the aspirations of the various communities. He said the exercise should consider the multi-ethnic makeup of densely populated urban constituencies, as well as the specific needs of rural populations that must be addressed. "For example, we are seeing new issues affecting the ordinary people, such as urban deprivation and poverty, lack of infrastructures in the rural areas and rural connectivity and livelihoods that need to be considered," he said in response to the passing of the Composition of Membership Bill 2025 by the State Legislative Assembly yesterday. He added that these are the concerns the new state assemblymen need to address, and the re-delineation must allow them to do so without political or racial bias. Jaban also appealed to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leadership to fairly allocate the 17 seats among the four component parties. "Therefore, I hope that the allocation of seats is not dominated by one single party," he said. The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly yesterday passed the Bill to increase its membership from 82 to 99. Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, in tabling the Bill, said the increase was part of efforts to ensure fairer and broader representation for the people of the state. He added the tabling of the Bill came in response to demographic changes, urban expansion, and a rising number of voters, including young voters aged 18 and above, which necessitated a restructuring of representation.
Malaysiakini
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Activist calls for fairer, multiethnic Sarawak assembly amid expansion
With a redelineation exercise placing an additional 17 assemblypersons in the Sarawak assembly, representation, along with long-term goals under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), must improve, an activist said. Peter John Jaban said the bigger Sarawak assembly should reflect the state's racial diversity and address local issues. 'This redelineation should not just be bigger, it must also be better.
Malay Mail
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Sarawak rights activist urges Nurul Izzah to back NCR land remarks with action
KUCHING, July 1 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar should follow up on her comments on Sarawak's Native Customary Rights (NRC) lands by engaging with affected communities and other stakeholders, said Peter John Jaban. While thanking Nurul Izzah for her concern, the rights activist however said such issues have existed for decades, yet has drawn little attention from the federal government. 'If these are the same concerns Nurul Izzah is raising in 2025, the question that must be asked is, why only now? 'For years, NCR landowners have fought alone in the courts, on logging roads, in far-flung longhouses, without legal access or media coverage. Where was the federal attention then?' he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday. He was asked to comment on Nurul Izzah's recent statement calling for faster action on surveys and ownership approvals of NCR land in the state, and for a halt to the issuance of new licences on disputed land. Peter said despite Nurul Izzah having held public office and speaking out on various national issues, her engagement on indigenous land issues, particularly in Sarawak, has been minimal. 'Still, her concern is valid to NCR landowners, but concern without clarity is not good enough.' He said without meaningful engagement with Dayak-based organisations or other land rights defenders, her words risk appearing 'superficial, a headline rather than a helping hand'. Nurul Izzah, stressed Peter, ought to meet with NCR landowners and civil society organisations, while also pushing for the reform of state-federal frameworks to ensure that native land rights are respected and 'not just surveyed for administrative convenience'. 'For her advocacy to matter, it must now be backed by real engagement,' he said, adding that Nurul Izzah's influence at the federal level could amplify the realities that local communities have long been trying to highlight. He went on to say that since the perimeter survey programme under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code began in 2010, civil society groups, lawyers, and native leaders have raised serious questions about its transparency, implementation, and implications. This has included concerns over the eventual conversion of NCR land into leasehold titles — a process Peter claimed that, in many cases, strips the land of its customary protections. — The Borneo Post
