CSOs urge EC to ensure fair, non-partisan Sarawak delineation

KUCHING (March 8): The Election Commission (EC) has been urged to carry out Sarawak’s delineation process with integrity and non-partisanship.

In making this call, five civil society organisations (CSOs) warned against gerrymandering and malapportionment in the state.

The CSOs are Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek SAMA), Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), Engage, Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (ROSE) Sarawak, and Persatuan Bertindak Pilihan Raya Bebas dan Saksama (Tindak).

They stressed that the EC must uphold the Constitution’s requirement under the 13th Schedule [subsection 2(c)]that parliamentary and state constituencies within the same state have “appropriately equal” numbers of voters.

“In the original spirit, the largest constituency cannot be larger than the smallest, and area weightage should only apply to constituencies spanning large areas with transportation challenges,” they said in a statement.

The CSOs called for equalisation of voting power across State Legislative Assemblies (DUNs), which would also reduce voting inequality at the parliamentary level.

They suggested that the EC reduce the electorate size of oversized parliamentary constituencies such as Miri, Stampin, Bintulu, Petra Jaya, Sibu, Bandar Kuching, and Kota Samarahan, which exceed the state average by more than 33.33 per cent.

They also proposed placing the 17 new state seats among existing oversized state constituencies, including Senadin, Dudong, Tupong, Pelawan, Kota Sentosa, Batu Lintang, Pujut, Pantai Damai, Batu Kawah, Tanjong Batu, Lambir, Samariang, Batu Kitang, Pending, Nangka, Bukit Assek, Mambong, Stakan, Muara Tuang, Samalaju, Repok, Tarat, Piasau, Tasik Biru, and Bukit Kota.

When creating new seats, the CSOs said the EC must apply the “weightage of area” principle reasonably and consistently, allowing smaller electorates only for large-area constituencies such as Hulu Rajang, Baram, Selangau, Bintulu, Kapit, Limbang, Baleh, Belaga, Murum, Telang Usan, and Mulu.

They recommend a deviation of about 20 per cent from the average and requested justifications for constituencies where equalisation cannot be achieved.

The CSOs also urged the EC to begin the delineation review promptly so it can be completed by July 14, 2027 — within two years of the July 15, 2025, implementation of the new seats, as required under Article 113(3A).

They called on Sarawakians from all 31 parliamentary constituencies and 82 existing state constituencies to be equipped with knowledge and skills to protect their voting power and ensure the process is fair and representative.

Free training is provided by ROSE Sarawak and Tindak at https://shorturl.at/JFQYr, and the public can study an alternate fair boundary proposal of 99 state seats and 31 parliamentary constituencies at https://tindakmalaysia.my.canva.site/sarawakredelineation/.