Addition of 17 Sarawak seats unlikely to be tabled this year, says Fadillah

Fadillah said the matter must go through several processes and procedures under the Election Commission, including public display exercises to allow for objections or feedback.

“Based on information from the EC, it is most likely that it will not be tabled this year as several processes and procedures still need to be carried out.

“The EC must first display it to the public. After the display, there will be a period for objections and other processes. So it is most likely that it can only be tabled next year,” he told reporters after an event at Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching Utara today.

Fadillah, who is also a Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) senior vice-president, said the EC has its own procedures involving studies and population census data.

“The determination of when the proposal will be tabled is entirely under the jurisdiction of the EC, without government interference,” he said.

In July last year, the state assembly passed a bill to add 17 new state seats, increasing the total to 99, subject to the redelineation process by the EC.