KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, says delays in electoral redelineation could prevent the proposed 17 new Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats from being implemented in the upcoming election.
He said the delay would also affect the Sarawak government’s plan to use the expanded total of 99 DUN seats as the basis for seeking an increase in the state’s parliamentary representation in the future, particularly to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s one-third representation in the Dewan Rakyat.
“I agree with Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah’s (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Information Chief) view on this matter because it appears the process should not have been delayed to this extent. The implications are significant.
“We wanted to use the additional 17 seats to bring the total number of DUN seats to 99. When the time comes, this will serve as the basis for creating more parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak,” he said.
He said this when asked to comment on a statement by the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, described the current electoral redelineation exercise as “melepaskan batuk di tangga”, a Malay idiom referring to a half-hearted effort or doing something merely for appearances, because it was implemented far too late.
Elaborating further, Nanta, who is also the Kapit Member of Parliament, said increasing the number of parliamentary seats is crucial to ensuring that the interests of Sarawak and Sabah continue to be safeguarded in the Dewan Rakyat.
“We want to return to at least one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat to protect the interests of Sarawak and Sabah.
“If our total number of seats exceeds one-third, any constitutional amendment or legislation affecting the interests of Sarawak and Sabah cannot be passed without the support of representatives from both regions,” he said.
He added that although he was unaware of the reasons behind the delay, a period of more than a year should have been sufficient to complete the process.
“Whether it is justified or not, I do not know what processes are involved. But over the course of more than a year, it should have been completed.
“Our hope was to use these 17 seats in the next state election, but it now appears that may not be possible,” he said.
Nanta also welcomed the proposal to add 17 DUN seats, including the proposed Melukun constituency, explaining that the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly had already approved the proposal and that it is now awaiting approval in the Dewan Rakyat.
“The process will take some time. I have yet to see the full list of the proposed constituencies, so I am unable to comment further on them,” he said.
