THE increase in the number of seats in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) will provide the legal and constitutional basis for an increase in parliamentary seats for Sarawak in the near future.
Pujut assemblyman Adam Yii said the broader political perspective is that, following the amendment to Article 1(2) and Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution in 2021, Sarawak, Sabah, and Malaya are now officially recognised as equal partners in the formation of Malaysia — as originally intended under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“And it is under MA63 that we are seeking, together with Sabah, to have one-third of the parliamentary seats,” he said when debating in support of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 during the special DUN sitting yesterday (July 7).
He said the Bill only enacts the composition of the membership of the DUN and does not deal with the delineation of the respective seats.
“The delineation of the respective seats falls under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission (SPR). However, it is expected that the delineation exercise will take into account both the number of voters as well as the size of each constituency, in order to be fair, equitable, and balanced.
“Therefore, one of the rationales for increasing the number of seats from 82 to 99 is to ensure that development and services can be effectively delivered to the people on the ground, so that no one is left behind,” said Yii.
In rebutting the opposition, Yii said Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen had predictably registered his opposition to the increase in the composition of DUN membership while expressing support for Sarawak’s bid to increase its number of parliamentary seats.
“There seems to be a disconnect here, because he (Chong) failed to recognise the relationship between state seats and parliamentary seats. There will not be an increase in parliamentary seats if there is no corresponding increase in the number of state seats,” he added.
