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Borneo Post
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Increasing assembly seats necessary for Sarawak's devt trajectory, says rep
See Chee How — Photo by Roystein Emmor KUCHING (July 7): Increasing the number of State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats from 82 to 99 is a necessary step forward in line with Sarawak's development trajectory and institutional needs. Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How said the move reflects principles of good governance, and is consistent with Sarawak's ongoing efforts to strengthen legislative capacity in increasing its administrative, legislative and fiscal autonomy. 'The rationale behind the (Dewan Undangan Negeri [Composition of Membership]) Bill—particularly the increase in electorate numbers and the need for more effective representation—was well-argued. 'However, the reference to Sarawak's accelerated pace of development since 2014 understated the scale of the state's progress and financial achievements over the past decade,' he said when debating the Bill during a sitting at the DUN Complex today. He viewed the proposed increase of seats as timely, describing it as a 'vital institutional reform to support the demands of modern governance'. See said it would enhance the DUN's ability to respond to Sarawak's development needs, particularly in relation to devolution under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, and improve public accountability. He referenced international examples such as Singapore, which has 99 Members of Parliament serving a significantly smaller land area, to illustrate how Sarawak—with its vast geographical spread—requires adequate legislative representation. 'However, land size alone should not be the sole determining factor in setting legislative composition. 'However, a more representative assembly would allow for the strengthening of democratic processes, including the formation of parliamentary select committees to scrutinise government actions and policies,' he said, adding that these committees were essential for transparency, oversight and promoting accountability in public administration. 'Thus, I hope that in tandem with the increase in elected members, the assembly would soon consider legislation to expand the number of members appointed to the State Cabinet to better reflect the composition and workload of the legislature.'
The Star
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Phase 1 of Kuching Urban Transportation System project almost 30% complete, says state govt
KUCHING: The overall progress of phase one of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project stood at 29.89% as of April this year, the Sarawak Legislative Assembly was told. State Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Dr Jerip Susil said this was slightly behind the planned schedule of 33.86%. He said the operations of phase one would be carried out in stages, with the first section of the Blue Line from Rembus to Riveria now anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of next year. "This is later than the initially targeted date due to construction delays," he told See Chee How (IND-Batu Lintang) during question time on Tuesday (May 20). Dr Jerip also said the full operation of the entire phase one was expected to commence in 2028. To a supplementary question from See, he said two elevated autonomous rapid transit (ART) stations would be built along Jalan Wan Alwi within the Batu Lintang constituency under phase one of KUTS. "The entire stretch of Jalan Wan Alwi is constructed as an elevated alignment or lane, with two elevated stations, one in front of Vivacity Megamall and the other near Kuching Lodge School. "Meanwhile, there will be one station in front of the Public Works Department divisional office with an elevated design for Batu Lintang area," he said. Phase one of the KUTS project involves three ART lines totalling about 69.9km with 31 stations. The Blue Line runs for about 27.6km from Rembus in Kota Samarahan to Hikmah Exchange in the city centre, the Red Line (about 12.3km) from Kuching Sentral to Pending and the Green Line (about 30km) from Pending to Damai Central.
