Tiang: Parliament should respect Sarawak DUN’s decision to expand state constituencies

KUCHING (March 7): Sarawak Deputy Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Michael Tiang has urged Parliament to respect and endorse the State Legislative Assembly’s (DUN) decision to increase the number of state seats from 82 to 99.

Echoing State Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Tiang said the move is not political but necessary to ensure fairer and more effective representation for Sarawakians.

“The resolution to create 17 additional constituencies was not made lightly but debated thoroughly in the DUN Sarawak, where many members from both sides of the House expressed strong support based on practical realities on the ground,” he said in a statement.

On Thursday, Abdul Karim had said that the DUN’s decision to expand state seats must be respected and not taken lightly.

Abdul Karim stressed that the decision falls within Sarawak’s jurisdiction and should not be linked to other states.

Tiang highlighted that Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, with vast rural areas, riverine settlements, and scattered communities.

Many current constituencies require representatives to travel hours by road, river, or even air to reach their constituents, he said.

He added that rapid population growth and development, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas, have increased demands on elected representatives to respond to community needs, infrastructure requests, and local development issues.

“As development accelerates, the demands on elected representatives to respond to community needs, infrastructure requests, and local development issues have also increased,” he said.

He said many august House members concurred that increasing the number of constituencies is not a political exercise, but a necessary step to ensure fairer and more effective representation for the people of Sarawak.

He emphasised that such move should not be misconstrued or unnecessarily linked to issues in other states.

“It must also be clearly understood that while the DUN has approved the increase in the number of seats, the delineation of the specific boundaries and locations of the new constituencies falls under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission (EC).”

He urged Parliament to endorse the DUN resolution without further delays, noting that Sarawak remains committed to federalism and cooperation within Malaysia while expecting its democratic decisions to be respected.

“I therefore hope that the endorsement process in Parliament can proceed in the spirit of mutual respect, constitutional order and recognition of Sarawak’s unique geographical and governance realities,” he added.