KUCHING: The upcoming Sarawak state election is set to see a two-fold increase in the number eligible voters at major urban constituencies in the southern, central and northern regions of the state.
According to data compiled by Civil Society - Rise of Social Efforts Sarawak (ROSE), key areas that are affected by the soaring voter numbers are state capital Kuching, oil and gas centre Miri, and the two major towns of Sibu and Bintulu.
The NGO’s president Geoffrey Tang said the Election Commission (EC) must give top priority to redelineating these urban constituencies so that the voters are better represented.
“Sarawak has constituencies such as Senadin state seat in Miri where the number of voters has reached the 73,430 mark.
“There are at least 21 similar state constituencies with very high increases in voter populations exceeding 23,000 each,“ he said.
Other affected state constituencies are Pantai Damai, Tupong, Samariang, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kitang, Batu Kawah, Mambong, Muara Tuang (all in southern Sarawak); Stakan, Tarat, Repok, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Pelawan, Nangka (central Sarawak); and Tanjung Batu, Pujut, Senadin, Piasau and Lambir (northern Sarawak).
Tang said the redelineation must reflect the need to give these extremely high voter population seats better representation.
“The EC must carry out redelineation in Sarawak based on these datas so the exercise will be transparent, fair and reflect the ground realities that voters in these key constituencies need better representation in the State Legislative Assembly so that their needs can be better taken care of,“ he said in a statement recently.
On July 7, a new Bill was tabled and subsequently passed to increase the number of state constituencies in Sarawak from 82 to 99.
The Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 was tabled by Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who is state assemblyman for Asajaya.
Speaking at the assembly, special one-day sitting, he said the increase in seats is necessary.
“In view of the increasing number of voters and the geographical complex setup of Sarawak, we need to have more elected representatives to serve the rakyat.”
Abdul Karim had noted to the house that the minimum voting age has been reduced to 18 years from 21.
“Sarawak will thus see a big surge in voters not just in urban areas but also in rural areas.
“This vast state has large rural constituencies that must have better representation,“ he said when tabling the Bill for first reading.
The move by Sarawak to increase the number of state constituencies is in line with Article 113 (2) of the Federal Constitution which allows a review of electoral boundaries in the state after eight years.
The last redelineation exercise in Sarawak was in 2015, Abdul Karim noted.
The EC will be the authority to decide on the new electoral boundaries.
The next state polls are due by June next year.
