Rose proposes redelineation of Sarawak constituencies to address malapportionment

Rise of Social Efforts (Rose) logo.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, June 28: Rise of Social Efforts (Rose) has proposed that the Election Commission (EC) redraw all 82 State and 31 Parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak to address malapportionment issues and uphold the principle of ‘One Person, One Vote, One Value’.

According to a statement released by Rose today, the EC can review Sarawak’s election boundaries at any time since the last review was completed in August 2015.

“This will enable equal and more meaningful representation of the people at the State Legislative Assembly and Federal level in accordance with the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution. The problem of gerrymandering, where politicians choose voters instead of voters choosing their representatives, also needs to be corrected or avoided,” Rose stated.

Rose also announced the launch of the #KitaAdaNombor Delineation Campaign, aimed at raising public and voter awareness about constituency boundary redelineation and encouraging voter participation in this democratic exercise.

The organisation emphasises the importance of voter involvement to prevent election outcomes from being predetermined before voters cast their ballots.

Since the implementation of automatic voter registration and the lowering of the voting age to 18 at the beginning of 2022, Sarawak’s voter population has increased by 79.5 per cent from 1,109,134 in 2015 to 1,990,322 as of April 2024.

Approximately 3,100 18-year-old Sarawakian youths are added to the voter roll automatically each month.

“It is therefore imperative for the EC to carry out a review now before the next Sarawak State election,” Rose added.

The campaign will feature a series of roadshows in various locations: Miri on July 6, Kuching on July 13, Sibu on July 20, and Samarahan on July 27.

Each event will include a public exhibition and forum discussions with invited panelists, including local assemblymen and MPs.

The first roadshow in Miri will take place on July 6 from 6pm to 10pm, with Miri Member of Parliament Chiew Choon Man as a guest panelist.

Those interested to follow the campaign can visit Rose’s social media platforms on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. — DayakDaily