
Henry: Increasing state seats a logical step toward more parliamentary representation
KUCHING (July 7): The move to increase state seats is a logical step toward increasing parliamentary seats for Sarawak, said Deputy Transport Minister Dato Henry Harry Jinep.
'Normally, one parliamentary seat comprises not less than two state seats. If we want Sarawak to increase its parliamentary seats, then logically, we need to increase the existing state seats so that the number goes (up) proportionately… It's a simple logic,' he said in a statement.
Henry, who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) deputy president and Tasik Biru assemblyman, was responding to critics of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025 which aims to increase the number of elected representatives in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99.
This increase would result in the creation of 17 new state seats.
The Bill was tabled by Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at the DUN special one-day sitting today.
Once appoved by the DUN, the Bill will then be brought to Parliament for federal approval
After both legislative bodies have endorsed the Bill, the Election Commission (EC) will be responsible for conducting the redelineation exercise.
Sarawak has been seeking an increase to its current number of parliamentary seats, which stands at 31.
This is in line with the proposal to restore the 35 per cent representation of Sabah and Sarawak in Parliament, in honour of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). Henry Harry Jinep increase lead parliamentary seats state seats
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
99 seats for Sarawak assembly in line with state's geography
KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof described the increase in the number of Sarawak state legislative assembly seats to 99 as the right move, based on the real needs of the state, which has an area almost equal to Peninsular Malaysia. Fadillah, who is also Petra jaya member of parliament, said the decision was based on research and debate at the state level, besides taking into account factors such as the size of the area, ethnic diversity and administrative needs, not simply based on the number of residents. "Some say this criterion should be based on population size… however, we have to look not only at population size, but also at the size of the area and representation of ethnic groups because Sarawak is almost as large as Peninsular Malaysia. "I support this move because it will provide more effective administration for us to develop Sarawak," he told reporters after attending the 'AI for MY Future' course for Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency at the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) in Kuching yesterday. Fadillah said with the addition of state assembly seats, more rural areas will have their own elected representatives, thus allowing the voices of the local community to be brought to the state policy-making stage. Asked if the move was related to the demands under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), he stressed that the main focus was on administrative efficiency. "I cannot say that (part of MA63), but what is more important is that we focus on administering Sarawak more effectively and efficiently," he said. On July 7, the Sarawak state legislative assembly passed the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 to add 17 new seats, bringing the total number of seats to 99 from 82 previously. Touching on the pilot project of the artificial intelligence (AI) course for the Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency, Fadillah said a total of 108 participants, the majority of whom were community leaders, had undergone the course to master basic skills such as data analysis and document preparation in daily affairs. He said the ultimate goal of the programme in collaboration with Microsoft is to produce a group of trainees who would then be able to train local communities, especially in rural areas. "The effectiveness of this programme will be assessed by Microsoft before it can be expanded to the entire state… If we can identify the locations of communities that need assistance through data, we can plan more accurately and efficiently," he said. – Bernama


Daily Express
6 hours ago
- Daily Express
99 seats for Sarawak Assembly in line with state's geography: Fadillah
Published on: Saturday, July 12, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jul 12, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof described the increase in the number of Sarawak State Legislative Assembly seats to 99 as the right move, based on the real needs of the state, which has an area almost equal to Peninsular Malaysia. Fadillah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Petra Jaya, said the decision was based on research and debate at the state level, besides taking into account factors such as the size of the area, ethnic diversity and administrative needs, not simply based on the number of residents. 'Some say this criterion should be based on population size… however, we have to look not only at population size, but also at the size of the area and representation of ethnic groups because Sarawak is almost as large as Peninsular Malaysia. 'I support this move because it will provide more effective administration for us to develop Sarawak,' he told reporters after attending the 'AI for MY Future' course for Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency at the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) in Kuching, today. Fadillah said with the addition of state assembly seats, more rural areas will have their own elected representatives, thus allowing the voices of the local community to be brought to the state policy-making stage. Asked if the move was related to the demands under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), he stressed that the main focus was on administrative efficiency. 'I cannot say that (part of MA63), but what is more important is that we focus on administering Sarawak more effectively and efficiently,' he said. On July 7, the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly passed the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 to add 17 new seats, bringing the total number of seats to 99 from 82 previously. Touching on the pilot project of the artificial intelligence (AI) course for the Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency, Fadillah said a total of 108 participants, the majority of whom were community leaders, had undergone the course to master basic skills such as data analysis and document preparation in daily affairs. He said the ultimate goal of the programme in collaboration with Microsoft is to produce a group of trainees who would then be able to train local communities, especially in rural areas. 'The effectiveness of this programme will be assessed by Microsoft before it can be expanded to the entire state… If we can identify the locations of communities that need assistance through data, we can plan more accurately and efficiently,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Education Ministry leaves probe into liquor auction at school to authorities
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Education Ministry is leaving it to the authorities to investigate the recent incident involving a liquor auction within a school compound that went viral recently. Its Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry will not compromise on any form of misconduct or violation of regulations involving educational institutions. "We have handed the matter over to the relevant authorities for investigation. "We will not tolerate any misconduct or breaches of the rules. "Action will be taken," she told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 in Terengganu today. She said investigations are ongoing, including into reports of a scuffle during the auction, and the ministry will continue to monitor the case to ensure regulations are upheld and appropriate action is taken. The incident sparked public outrage after a primary school facility in Pontian, Johor, was used to host a liquor auction, during which a fight was also reported to have occurred.