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Dato Sim Kiang ChiokAdvertisement
By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 11: The proposal to increase the number of parliamentary seats for Sarawak and Sabah reflects the long-standing aspiration of the people of Borneo that political representation must keep pace with demographic changes, geographical realities, and the spirit of the federation.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Stakan Branch chairman Dato Sim Kiang Chiok expressed particular support for the creation of 17 new State constituencies in Sarawak, describing the move as timely and necessary, especially following the implementation of Undi 18, which has expanded the number of eligible voters and encouraged greater participation among young Sarawakians in the democratic process.
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“In my opinion, I welcome and strongly support the proposal to increase the number of parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak, as recently highlighted by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud,” he said in a statement today.
Sim noted that Sarawak’s vast geographical size, combined with many rural and remote communities scattered across difficult terrain, poses unique challenges for elected representatives in serving their constituents.
Increasing the number of constituencies, he said, would allow assemblymen to give more focused attention to local issues, respond efficiently to community needs, and ensure development, particularly in rural and interior areas, is addressed effectively.
“This will ultimately strengthen grassroots governance and improve service delivery to the people of Sarawak,” he added.
Under Article 113 of the Federal Constitution, electoral boundaries can only be reviewed after intervals of at least eight years.
The last redelineation in Sarawak was carried out in 2015, raising the number of state seats from 71 to 82, making the present proposal timely and constitutionally consistent, Sim noted.
He also supported the call for Sabah and Sarawak to collectively hold at least 33 per cent of total parliamentary seats, in line with the spirit and intent of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which recognises both states as equal partners in the formation of Malaysia.
“Accordingly, I urge the Election Commission to expedite the delineation process so that the proposal can be tabled and approved by Parliament without unnecessary delay, for the benefit of Sarawak and the Borneo states as a whole,” he said.
On March 9, Mustapha described the expansion of parliamentary representation as timely to better serve communities in the two Borneo states, while also bringing additional allocations and providing additional resources for development and infrastructure in rural and remote areas. — DayakDaily
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