KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal to increase the number of seats in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99 will help strengthen democratic principles in the country.
Senator Pele Peter Tinggom said the move is also in line with provisions under the Federal Constitution.
“One of the principles of democracy is the people’s right to be heard, and this right is upheld through the addition of more DUN seats.
“Referring to Article 113 of the Federal Constitution, it clearly allows for the creation of new seats, provided that a minimum of eight years has passed since the last redelineation exercise,” he said in a news report by TVS.
He was speaking at a Community Dialogue Session held in conjunction with the Sarawak Liaison Office Open Day in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
Pele added that the proposed increase in seats would also accelerate development in affected constituencies through increased allocations from the state government.
Citing the Saratok district as an example, he said the area currently consists of three DUN seats, namely Kalaka, Kabong and Krian.
“For example, if each constituency receives RM5 million in development funds, the creation of an additional seat would raise the total allocation from RM15 million to RM20 million,” he explained.
On the broader issue of increasing Sarawak’s representation in Parliament to meet the one-third quota, he expressed hope that the federal government would give serious consideration to the matter.
