Assembly seat expansion in Sarawak needed to match population growth, say GPS reps
He described the structure as outdated, noting that it was last revised in 2014.
'The demands of the people, constituency workloads, and policy complexities have all grown significantly.
'Many assemblymen, particularly those representing large or densely populated constituencies, are overstretched in their efforts to serve tens of thousands of voters across vast areas,' he said during the debate on the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.
The bill, tabled by Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, seeks to increase the number of elected representatives from 82 to 99.
Abdul Karim said the proposed expansion is intended to reflect demographic shifts, ongoing urban development, and the growing need for balanced and fair representation across the state.
Supporting the bill, Kennedy Chukpai Ugon (GPS-Murum) noted that the proposed increase aligns with Sarawak's vast geographical landscape, which includes many sparsely populated rural areas.
'Historically, rural communities have faced difficulties in having their voices heard in the legislative process, often overshadowed by more urban constituencies,' he said.
Christopher Gira Sambang (GPS-Tamin) added that the bill embodies the principles of equitable development and effective governance.
'The addition of 17 new state seats represents a critical recalibration of our democratic structure. I sincerely hope this move will also lead to a corresponding increase in Sarawak's parliamentary seats in the near future,' he said. — Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
M'sia poised to be Asean halal hub for NZ products, says Zahid
WELLINGTON: Malaysia is poised to be a halal hub in Asean for products from New Zealand, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The Deputy Prime Minister said this comes after two organisations in New Zealand, which has obtained recognition from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), to use Malaysia as a springboard to widen its export market. "I have given them the opportunity to use Malaysia as a hub for the distribution of halal products from New Zealand to Asean nations," he said in a press conference after attending the Malaysia-New Zealand Halal Forum here on Wednesday (July 16). He said that he had also proposed to halal industry players from New Zealand to attend the Malaysia International Halal Showcase 2025 which will be held this coming September in Kuala Lumpur. "An announcement will be made during the event on joint efforts to set up the Asean Halal Council comprising representation from Asean and Asean Plus Plus nations. "We invited the bodies which have obtained Jakim recognition to be part of the council," he added. He said the goal of the council is to standardise halal certification among Asean nations and those in the surrounding region. "The will be brought up as an agenda during the Asean Summit this coming October," he added. Asean Plus Plus refers to a broader regional cooperative framework that includes Asean's ten member states plus China, Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, Dr Ahmad Zahid also said that there were talks among several countries under Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to reactivate the dormant World Halal Council to included both Muslim and non-Muslim nations involved in halal products. He said this was crucial as the global halal market is expected to grow from the current US$1.3 trillion (RM5.5 trillion) annually to US$3.7 trillion (RM14.3 trillion) in 2030. "The market is expected to grow to US$5 trillion (RM21.2 trillion) by 2050. Malaysia intends to tap 5% of this market," he added. Earlier, during the forum, New Zealand's Biosecurity and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said that Malaysia is a significant market for premium halal meat products, with exports of more than NZ$60mil (RM151mil) "Malaysia is facilitating the approval of several New Zealand halal meat premises seeking first-time access to this market, which is crucial to growing exports," he said. Earlier, Ahmad Zahid and Hoggard witnessed the exchange of letters of intent between Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Malaysia and University of Canterbury (UC). The partnership aims to strengthen academic and research collaboration including student and staff mobility. Key areas of collaboration include chemical engineering, halal food systems and sustainable food production. Meanwhile, at a separate event, Ahmad Zahid and his New Zealand counterpart David Seymour witnessed the signing of the document of collaboration between Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM) and Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). The document was inked by New Zealand's Universities Minister Shane Raymond Reti at a ceremony at VUN. The collaboration paves the way for planning for joint research implementation, lecturer and student mobility programs, curriculum exchange and application-oriented learning, and professional development in education. Ahmad Zahid is on a five-day working visit to New Zealand which started on July 14.
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
There's no need to entertain MCA, says Loke
Loke Siew Fook said he 'couldn't be bothered' with MCA and there was no need to entertain the party's views about DAP. PETALING JAYA : DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has refused to be drawn into the latest spat with MCA following its accusations that his party betrayed the Chinese voters after the 2022 general election. Loke said he 'couldn't be bothered' with MCA and that there was no need to entertain the party's views, Sinar Harian reported. 'We'll just do our work, and let the people judge us for it. MCA doesn't need to evaluate us – that's not their job. The ones who will evaluate us are the voters and the people. Come election time, we'll see,' Loke was quoted as saying. A war of words broke out between MCA and DAP a few days ago after MCA Youth information chief Neow Choo Seong claimed that DAP had failed to defend the interests of the Chinese community. DAP national vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan dismissed the claims as baseless and advised MCA to focus on regaining public support. This prompted MCA vice-president Tan Teik Cheng to label Syahredzan as arrogant and said that the latter's party relied heavily on Chinese votes to win the elections but neglected the community after gaining power.
Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Tengku Zafrul warns against poor trade deals as Malaysia continues US tariff talks
KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The government's negotiating position aims to ensure that any agreement reached supports the country's economic reforms and sustainable growth strategies. Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said negative long-term outcomes are not what the public wants, nor what current and future taxpayers need. 'Catchy, feel-good headlines last a few days, a week at most. However, poor deals will have long-term consequences for our people, industries, and economy. 'Our objective is simple: we want to ensure that any agreement supports an open, rules-based and fair, multilateral trade, with the World Trade Organisation at its core,' he said in his keynote address at the International Healthcare Week (IHW) 2025, here today. The minister emphasised that any agreement should also safeguard market access, while recognising the need for emerging countries like Malaysia to develop sustainable supply chains and economies. 'Just like other countries, we value our economic ties with the United States (US). In 2024, total Malaysia-US trade rose nearly 30 per cent to RM324.9 billion (US$71.4 billion), with Malaysia being an important source for key products such as electrical and electronics (E&E) (+ semiconductors); machinery and equipment; rubber gloves, wood-based products and palm oil,' he said. As trade negotiations are a complex multi-stakeholder process, Tengku Zafrul said relevant ministries and agencies must be consulted to minimise conflict and ensure a smooth implementation post-negotiation. 'For context, the average duration for a regular trade negotiation is 18 months. For MITI, the fastest on record thus far is 11 months,' he said. Tengku Zafrul highlighted several red lines that the MADANI government will not cross in trade negotiations, including sacrificing the country's sovereignty or sidelining other trading partners in trying to close a trade deal. Meanwhile, he said Malaysia still has until August 1 to negotiate with the US regarding the 25 per cent reciprocal tariff imposed by the country thus far. He made this comment in reaction to Donald Trump's recent announcement regarding a 19 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indonesia, which has not yet provided any official statement on the issue. 'I have no further information regarding that (reciprocal tariff rate on Indonesia). What we know is based on the announcement made by the US president. We are now waiting to see what will be announced by the Indonesian side. 'As for Malaysia, we are still in negotiations. We have until August 1, so there is still time. What is important is that any negotiation must ensure mutual benefit for both countries,' he said. — Bernama
