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Sarawak DUN to table Bill on increasing assembly seats on July 7
Asfia (centre) flanked by Deputy Speaker Dato Idris Buang (left) and DUN secretary Nur Azhar Bujan holds up the documents for the media after the press conference. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (July 5): A special one-day sitting of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) has been scheduled on July 7 to table the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, which seeks to increase the number of elected members in the Assembly.
DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar announced this during a press conference at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here today.
'On June 18, I received a directive from the Premier to convene the State Legislative Assembly on July 7, for a one-day sitting,' he said, adding that the meeting will begin at 9am at the DUN Chambers on Level 8 of the DUN Complex.
The Bill will be tabled by Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, with the first, second and third readings all to be carried out on the same day.
Asfia said the Bill proposes to amend the composition of DUN membership, which currently stands at 82 elected members and was last increased from 71 seats in 2014.
'The last increase was in 2014, when the number of seats was raised from 71 to 82. That was 11 years ago,' he said.
'Under Article 14(1)(b) of the Sarawak Constitution, the Dewan has the power to increase its composition, and there is no maximum limit stated.'
He explained that the Bill only requires a simple majority to pass, not two-thirds, as provided under Article 41(3)(a) of the Sarawak Constitution.
'Clause 2 shall not apply to a Bill for making any amendment consequential or law prescribing the number of elected members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri,' Asfia said, referring to the exemption from the two-thirds requirement for changes to the DUN composition.
Asfia stressed that while the DUN can increase the number of seats, the actual delineation of constituency boundaries remains under the purview of the Election Commission (EC), a federal agency.
'Let me draw a clear line of demarcation between the composition of elected members in the DUN and the delineation of constituencies on the ground,' he said. 'Delineation is not done by the DUN. It is left to EC.'
Asfia also cited the Federal Constitution to justify the timing of the proposed increase.
'Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution allows an increase in composition after an interval of not less than eight years,' he said.
In terms of electoral context, Asfia said the lowering of the voting age to 18 has led to a 'staggering increase in the number of voters,' especially in vast and geographically challenging constituencies in Sarawak.
He highlighted that Hulu Rajang spans 34,080 square kilometres, and Baram covers 22,075 square kilometres—both larger than the combined size of Perlis and Malacca. Bintulu, he added, has the highest number of voters at 113,599.
'The elected representatives are prisoners of geography in these colossal constituencies,' he remarked.
Responding to questions from reporters, Asfia declined to reveal the proposed number of additional seats, saying: 'I will leave that entirely to the Minister who tables the Bill. I only speak on the legal interpretation and reasons for the increase.'
When asked whether the move would lead to a similar increase at the federal parliamentary level, Asfia said: 'Parliamentary seats are outside the ambit and jurisdiction of the DUN Sarawak. They require a two-thirds majority in the National Parliament.'
A notice for the one-day sitting was issued on June 20, 2025, in accordance with Standing Order 8(3), which allows for an early sitting if deemed in the public interest by the Chief Minister.
