KUCHING: The Election Commission’s (EC) assessment that 17 proposed new state seats are unlikely to be ready for the next election has prompted Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders to weigh in on the implications.
Asajaya assemblyman Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak would have to proceed with the election using the existing 82 seats.
“But whatever it is, whether it’s still 82 seats or 99 seats, Sarawak will have to face the election and this time round we know it’s going to be 82 seats,” he told Sarawak Tribune when contacted last night (Sept 24).
Abdul Karim said the EC would not realistically be able to complete the statutory process for the proposed seats within the available timeframe, including public notice, consideration of public objections, parliamentary endorsement, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s consent and gazettement.
“If the EC had acted immediately after being informed that the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) had approved the 17 new seats in July 2025, we would not be in this situation,” he said.
On the timing of the election, Abdul Karim said the decision remained the prerogative of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“The timing of the DUN dissolution is entirely the Premier’s prerogative unless he wishes not to exercise that prerogative and let the DUN ‘expire’ on expiry of the fifth year,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap said EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun’s announcement was relevant to the electoral process but declined to speculate on whether it would affect the government’s thinking on election timing.
“I would not speculate on whether it changes the government’s thinking on election timing. That is a matter for the Premier and the constitutional process,” he said.
Yap said the 17 proposed new seats were unlikely to be ready for the next state election, adding that the EC should be allowed to complete its process and make the necessary formal determinations.
“The dissolution of the DUN and the delineation of electoral boundaries are two separate constitutional and electoral processes.
“The timing of dissolution is for the Premier to determine through the proper constitutional process, while the boundary review is the responsibility of the EC,” he said.
He said the constitutional and electoral processes should be allowed to take their course rather than speculating on the timing or arrangements of the next state election.
Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang said the EC’s position would nevertheless have to be considered when determining the timing of the election.
“This development will naturally have to be considered by the state government when determining the timing of the election. However, the election timetable should not be dictated solely by the EC’s delay,” he said.
Gira said Sarawak should not be forced to postpone its democratic process because the redelineation exercise was not completed in time.
“If the new electoral boundaries are not legally finalised and brought into force before the DUN is dissolved, PRN13 will most likely have to proceed using the existing 82 seats,” he said.
He also criticised the EC’s handling of the exercise, noting that the Sarawak DUN had approved the increase from 82 to 99 seats on July 7, 2025.
“The EC should explain why it took so long to reach this stage when it was already known that PRN13 was approaching,” he said.
Gira said the additional seats were important to provide better representation and public services, particularly in Sarawak’s vast rural constituencies.
He added that he had encouraged voters in Tamin to submit formal objections to the EC’s current proposal, including a proposed new DUN seat, Bukit Arip, comprising areas from the existing Tamin and Kakus constituencies.
The comments followed Ramlan’s statement yesterday (Sept 24) that the 17 proposed new seats were unlikely to be used in the next state election.
Ramlan said the electoral boundary review process was expected to take longer than February 2027, when the current term of the Sarawak DUN expires.
“The term of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly expires in February 2027, so based on the process we need to go through, I expect we will not be able to use the new seats in the next state election,” he said.
