Ensure fair Sarawak seat delineation, EC chairman told

2026-03-07 - 10:53

In July 2025, the Sarawak state assembly approved raising the number of seats from 82 to 99. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: Civil society groups have urged Election Commission (EC) chairman Ramlan Harun to ensure integrity in Sarawak’s upcoming electoral delineation, following the circulation of a slide deck that allegedly details 17 new state constituencies benefiting Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). According to the groups, the deck outlines which constituencies would gain seats, their ethnic composition, allocation among GPS component parties, and even proposed names for the new constituencies. They said the plan also suggests adding seats to 14 of Sarawak’s 31 parliamentary constituencies, including small ones like Tanjong Manis, while denying larger constituencies such as Bandar Kuching extra seats. Electorate sizes in the proposed map range from 10,830 to 114,750 voters, and “weightage of area” appears inconsistently applied, they added. The groups, including Projek Sama, Bersih, Engage, ROSE Sarawak, and Tindak, also flagged reports that EC officers met with political representatives in 2024. “Can the Sarawak public retain any confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the Sarawak EC office?” the statement read. “Will the EC eventually adopt or be influenced by the highly technical, detailed and comprehensive map that carves out the 17 new seats to guarantee GPS’s electoral victory and enhance PBB’s (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s) dominance? “Or will the EC demonstrate its independence by resisting such a proposal and being bold in implementing fair electoral boundaries for Sarawak?” The groups urged Ramlan to confirm whether he had seen or authorised such plans and to ensure the delineation follows constitutional requirements for roughly equal voter representation. They also called for the transparent application of “weightage of area” for large, sparsely populated constituencies and for a review of oversized districts. They further urged that the delineation review should start soon for it to be completed by July 14, 2027 — within two years of the approval for the seat increase. Last July, the Sarawak state assembly gave its approval to raise the number of state assembly seats from 82 to 99. FMT also previously reported that PBB would receive 10 state seats, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) three, and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party two each. Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the EC would determine the timing and details of the redelineation review following the constitutional eight-year period, which for Sarawak ended on Aug 21, 2023.