2 days ago
Abdul Karim: DUN seat expansion Bill expected to pass smoothly
Abdul Karim speaking to reporters following the pre-council meeting in Kuching. Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (July 5): The upcoming tabling of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025, which proposes increasing the number of seats in Sarawak's State Legislative Assembly (DUN), is expected to proceed smoothly, said Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said the Bill, once tabled, should receive majority support given the strong mandate held by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
'Well, definitely, I expect it to be endorsed in the DUN first, given the kind of majority that GPS has. The tabling of the proposal to increase the number of DUN seats will definitely go through, the way I see it,' he said when met at the Pre-Council Meeting held in conjunction with the Special One-Day Sitting of the DUN at PBB Headquarters here today.
He added that once endorsed by the DUN, the Bill would then be brought to Parliament for federal approval, a step he does not foresee encountering any resistance.
'Next would be for Parliament to also endorse it, which I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be, because it's not a parliamentary increase, it's a state increase,' he said.
Abdul Karim explained that once both legislative bodies have endorsed the Bill, the Election Commission (EC) would be responsible for conducting the redelineation exercise.
'It is then for SPR to define where the increase should be and where the delineation would take place,' he added.
The Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 is expected to pave the way for the expansion of Sarawak's legislative representation, which will subsequently require the redrawing of constituency boundaries by the EC.
Abdul Karim, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Information Chief, added that the significant increase in the number of voters since 2018 has made the proposal to add more state seats a long-overdue necessity.
Commenting on speculation that the motion could be tabled in Parliament as early as August, he said that while nothing has been confirmed, the proposal aligns with Sarawak's ongoing efforts to reclaim its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), including the push for more parliamentary seats.
'We have long urged for an increase in parliamentary representation. This increase in state seats may be seen as part of that broader effort, as any addition of parliamentary seats must also be preceded by a corresponding increase at the state level,' he said.
