KUCHING: The one-day Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on July 7 (coming Monday) will table the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, which proposes an increase in the number of elected assembly members.
Speaker of the DUN, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, said during a press conference today that the bill will be tabled by Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who is also the assemblyman for Asajaya.
The special sitting was convened following a directive from the Premier of Sarawak, who invoked Standing Order 8(3), which allows the Premier to request an earlier sitting during an adjournment in the public interest, requiring the Speaker to immediately issue a notice for the Dewan to meet at the specified date and time.
The proposed bill is based on Article 14(1)(B) of the Sarawak State Constitution, which empowers the DUN to determine the number of its elected members through legislation.
“Currently, the composition stands at 82 members. This bill, once passed, will increase that number, in line with the constitutional powers given to the Dewan,” said Asfia.
Importantly, he clarified that this amendment does not require a two-thirds majority in the DUN.
“Under Article 41(3)(A), any bill to amend the number of elected members, if it is consequential to a law prescribing such a change, is exempt from the two-thirds requirement. So only a simple majority is needed,” he said.
The last increase in the number of DUN seats was in 2014 when it rose from 71 to 82, and Asfia noted that under Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, any review to increase seat numbers must occur at intervals of at least eight years, a condition that has now been fulfilled.
He also said that while the bill deals with the composition of elected members, it does not affect the delineation of constituency boundaries.
“Delineation is the exclusive responsibility of the Election Commission (SPR), a federal body. The DUN has no jurisdiction over that process,” he said.
Addressing concerns of possible gerrymandering, Asfia explained that the delineation process is independent of the state government or the Premier.
Asfia also highlighted the scale of Sarawak’s constituencies, which create logistical challenges for elected representatives.
“The parliamentary constituency of Hulu Rajang covers an area of 34,080 square kilometres which is bigger than the state of Perlis and the state of Malacca combined.
“The parliamentary constituency of Baram is 22,075 square kilometres, which is also bigger than the state of Perlis and Malacca combined,” he said.
He added that Bintulu has the highest number of voters in the state.
The Speaker said these factors, combined with the Undi18 policy that significantly increased the number of voters, have created a pressing need to review seat distribution to ensure more equitable and accessible representation.
As for parliamentary seats, Asfia stressed that is outside the scope of the DUN, and would require a separate process and a two-thirds majority in Parliament.