Bill's passing gives voice to ‘every corner of Sarawak' – Dr Annuar
KUCHING (July 7): The passing of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Members) Bill 2025 marks a significant milestone for Sarawak, with far-reaching implications for democratic representation, social equity and rural development.
Speaking during the Motion of Adjournment for the special one-day sitting of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee (GPS-Nangka) said the expansion of seats would allow more voices from across Sarawak to be heard in the legislature.
'Because of today, the voices of the people from every corner of Sarawak will increase in this august House.
'This is important in democratic practice. A government based on democracy, that is, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,' he said.
He said the clearest outcome from the day's debates was the shared priority among most assemblymen to ensure that every community in Sarawak had a voice in the law-making process.
'For a diverse state like Sarawak, equity—or fairness—is critical. If we apply the principle of 'One man, one vote, one value', minority groups will continue to be marginalised.
'In the end, the majority will govern in a totalitarian manner, and this is not good for democracy.'
Dr Annuar also addressed criticisms suggesting that the proposed increase in state seats could lead to gerrymandering—the manipulation of electoral boundaries to favour certain political outcomes.
He firmly rejected this concern, stressing that voting outcomes in Sarawak have historically reflected voters' choices, not 'boundary engineering'.
'For example in 2016, Democratic Action Party won seven seats. However, in 2022, without any redelineation, they suffered major losses and were left with only two seats, Pending and Padungan.
'This clearly proves that their defeat was not due to gerrymandering.'
Responding to concerns over the cost of additional seats, Dr Annuar said the development impact far outweighed the expenditure on elected representatives' allowances.
'Some have said that this will increase government spending because we have to pay allowances to 17 new assembly members. True, their allowances may cost around RM4.5 million a year, but those 17 new areas will enjoy a development budget of RM120 million.
'So, are we to deny RM120 million in development just because of RM4.5 million in allowances? That's an illogical comparison and merely aimed at confusing the public,' he said.
The special sitting adjourned sine die at 5.44pm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
2 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
Borneo Post
2 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Kundasang customary book to preserve cultural heritage
Dr Joachim (seated centre) with the customary practitioners present at the ceremony. RANAU (July 12): Deputy Chief Minister II and Kundasang Assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam officiated the launch of the Buku Adat Mukim Kundasang/Pinausok at a ceremony attended by 150 traditional customary practitioners at Puncak Café on Thursday. In his speech, Dr Joachim congratulated the customary chiefs who successfully compiled the traditional customs and practices of the Kundasang community into a book, calling it an important reference for current and future generations. 'In the Kundasang constituency, most sub-districts (mukim) now have their own customary books. This is a significant achievement in our efforts to preserve and document our cultural heritage,' he said. He also expressed appreciation to the village chiefs who were directly involved in documenting the customs practised in their respective villages. According to him, the customary book serves not only as a reference but also as a guide for all villages in dealing with customary matters, including the giving of sogit (customary compensation) and mediation processes, helping to prevent future confusion. On the Native Court, Dr Joachim shared that there is a proposal to abolish the Native Court Enactment 1992 and replace it with a new enactment. However, he said, tabling the new law in the State Legislative Assembly may not happen this year as several aspects still require scrutiny by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. Dr Joachim also stated that all positions related to customary affairs — from district chiefs to village chiefs — will be retained if the current State Government continues to receive the people's mandate in the coming state election. However, he noted that a change in government could result in a restructuring or termination of these positions. 'For me, we respect the decision of the people. I just want to emphasise that the Sabah Maju Jaya Direction is the best so far,' he said. Also present at the event were district chiefs OKK Dominic Ghanie and OKK Muhasip Haji Roman, native chiefs, representatives of native chiefs for the Paginatan and Karanaan constituencies, village chiefs and members of the Stall Operators Association, members of the Kundasang Highland Vegetable Growers Association.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Sarawak assembly seats increase to 99 for better governance
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. - Bernama
