KUCHING: Parliament should not politicise Sarawak’s proposal to create 17 new State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said.
The minister was disappointed that the proposal has yet to receive Parliament’s endorsement despite overwhelming approval by the state legislature.
The Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said the proposal should be considered on its own merits instead of being linked to broader political issues.
“We are practising a federal system and if something that should be endorsed has already been agreed to by the State Legislative Assembly, then it should be endorsed,” he told reporters following the close of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2026 at the Sarawak Cultural Village on Sunday night (Jun 28).
Abdul Karim, who tabled the motion for the additional DUN seats, agreed with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof’s assessment that the proposal was unlikely to be implemented before the coming Sarawak election due to time constraints.
“As the person who brought this issue, of course I am a bit disappointed because the representatives in the State Legislative Assembly have already agreed to it.
“It only requires Parliament’s endorsement, but despite Parliament meeting three times since then, there has not been any serious effort to address the matter,” he said.
He stressed that the proposal involved only additional state constituencies and would not affect parliamentary seats.
“Don’t play politics. We are talking about state seats only, not parliamentary seats.
“The number of parliamentary seats will remain the same. The State Legislative Assembly has no power to amend or propose parliamentary constituencies. That can only be done by Parliament,” he said.
Abdul Karim said discussions on parliamentary constituencies should not be used to delay the proposal, as both matters fall under separate jurisdictions.
“Parliament should look at this from the proper perspective.
“If it is something that should be endorsed, then it should be endorsed,” he said
