KUCHING: The Sarawak Assembly will see a Bill tabled on Monday to increase the number of state constituencies, a move that would subsequently see a proportionate increase in elected reps
Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar today said the one-day sitting was requested by Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
“The premier has requested for the one-day July 7 special sitting. ‘The matter to be raised will be pertaining to increasing the number of state assembly constituencies in Sarawak.
“The State Assembly has the jurisdiction to propose an increase in the number of state constituencies as the eight-year period from the last increase has lapsed,” he told a press conference at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) headquarters in Kuching.
“However, the electoral boundary redelineation to increase the number of Sarawak seats will be a matter under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission.”
Johari had in a rather sudden move last month requested for the special sitting to be convened on July 7.
Asfia said he has already issued a notice to all the 82 state assembly reps to attend the special sitting tomorrow.
Sarawak currently has 31 parliamentary and 82 state constituencies.
Asfia said the state needs to have more constituencies due to its huge land size.
“These vast constituencies are geographically very challenging,” he stressed.
“In the rural regions, the difficulties are compounded by logistical challenges that make it very difficult to administer.
“Hulu Rajang (in central Sarawak) for example is bigger in size than the states of Perlis and Malacca combined.
“So too is Baram (in northern Sarawak) which is bigger than the two peninsula states combined,“ he added, stressing that parliamentary constituencies in northern and central Sarawak can be bigger than 30,000 sqkm each.
Asfia added that voters populations are growing even in urban Sarawak.
He cited Bintulu town which has 113,559 voters in one constituency alone.
The need to increase the number of constituencies is urgent so that citizens can be better represented, he pointed out.
