KUCHING: The proposal to increase parliamentary seats for Sarawak should not be delayed on the grounds that it carries major implications for other states, as the decision has already been approved by the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN).
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the decision must be respected as it represents the official voice of the state’s elected representatives through a sovereign legislative body.
“The decision made by the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is legitimate and should not be linked to sensitivities of other states.
“It was passed in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, a sovereign house. Therefore, it must be respected,” he said at a recent press conference.
He stressed that the matter should not be taken lightly or postponed as it involves a resolution made by the state’s legislative institution.
“The next step is for Parliament to endorse the proposal before the process of delineating the new constituencies can be carried out.
“Subsequently, the task of determining the boundaries of the new seats will fall under the responsibility of the Election Commission of Malaysia (SPR), which will conduct the necessary studies and establish appropriate electoral boundaries,” he explained.
On Tuesday (Mar 3), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat that the proposal to increase parliamentary seats for Sarawak and Sabah requires further scrutiny as it carries significant implications for other states in Malaysia.
The reply was in response to a question by Kudat MP Verdon Bahanda, who asked when the Election Commission would finalise its electoral boundary review for Sarawak and Sabah to meet the demand for 35 per cent of parliamentary seats for the two regions.
According to Azalina, a meeting of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council on Sept 12, 2025 had, in principle, agreed that increasing the number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat for Sarawak and Sabah is reasonable.
Nevertheless, she noted that the method of implementation, as well as the details regarding the number and percentage of additional seats, still require further discussions involving the federal government and relevant agencies, as the move would also affect other states.
She added that the government in principle agrees to increase federal constituencies for Sarawak and Sabah, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Nov 16, 2025.
She explained that the Election Commission can only begin the redelineation review after amendments are made to Article 46 of the Federal Constitution, in line with the provisions under Article 113(3A) of the Federal Constitution.
