KUCHING: The proposal to create a Bukit Arip state constituency in the Selangau parliamentary area has to do with strengthening rural representation and accelerating development, ensuring fairer representation and more effective delivery of government services to rural communities.
Kakus constituency Youth chief and chairman of Kelab Belia Proaktif Lubuk Bukut, Dr Jawing Chunggat, said discussion on Bukit Arip should therefore focus on designing political representation that can sustain for the next 20 years.
“The discussion is not about creating politicians. It is about building capacity,” he said in a statement issued by Parti Rakyat Sarawak’s Kakus Division today (Aug 9).
He said P214 Selangau, comprising DUN N.60 Kakus and DUN N.59 Tamin, covered 9,193 square kilometres (approximately the size of Selangor) with more than 700 longhouses, over 49, 265 voters, 30 polling districts and 61 polling stations.
He added the vast geographical area and dispersed population created different challenges from those faced by urban constituencies, where thousands of voters could live within a relatively compact area.
“For a person living in a rural longhouse deep in the interior, distance, road conditions, accessibility and the availability of government services can affect how quickly an issue reaches the relevant authorities and is resolved,” he said.
He said these realities warranted a review of the existing electoral boundaries based on the needs of constituents rather than political narratives.
Jawing said the large areas covered by the two existing seats could make it difficult for elected representatives to give adequate attention to the various state initiatives and development needs in their constituencies.
He added this was particularly important as Sarawak continued to pursue growth in areas including food security, agro-processing, tourism, digital commerce and entrepreneurship, which required effective coordination at the grassroots level.
“The justification for a new state seat in Selangau should be about creating better accessibility, accountability and better development outcomes for the rural people, which will inevitably prosper Sarawak.
“Tamin covers over 3,492 square kilometres, serves approximately 25 292 voters, while Kakus spans 5,701 km2 with 23,955 voters– neither are small constituencies,” he added.
He stressed that the key question was how Kakus and Tamin residents could cope with growing development expectations if the proposed Bukit Arip seat was deemed unnecessary.
“The electoral boundary should serve the people and not the other way around,” he said.
He said the proposal should therefore be assessed based on whether it could improve access to government services, strengthen accountability and enable longhouse communities to participate in and benefit from Sarawak’s future development.
“We hope that the relevant authority gives these matters the serious consideration they deserve,” he said.
