By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 25: A coalition of 23 Sarawak-based civil society groups and associations has called on the Election Commission (EC) and the Sarawak government to work closely to ensure that the next Sarawak election is conducted meaningfully, with newly redrawn electoral maps and postal voting facilities for Sarawak voters living outside the State.
In a joint statement today, the groups stressed the urgency of the EC publishing its proposed constituency maps to allow for public review under Article 113(3A) of the Federal Constitution.
“The two-year timeline for this review began on July 15, 2025, following the increase of Sarawak’s Legislative Assembly seats from 82 to 99, as gazetted on July 7, 2025. The EC has until July 15, 2027 to complete the exercise,” the statement explained.
The coalition also addressed widespread misinformation regarding the seat increase, emphasising that the increase to 99 state seats is final.
“Parliament’s can only approve the final electoral boundary proposed by the EC, a process that has not been started,” it said.
The groups urged politicians, media practitioners, and opinion leaders to stop spreading confusion on this matter, noting that repeated misinformation has undermined the political confidence of Sarawakians.
The groups stressed that the EC must conduct the delineation review in strict accordance with the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution, ensuring that constituencies have “approximately equal” numbers of voters, with exceptions only for geographic area and preservation of local ties.
They pointed out current disparities, such as Baram with 61,446 voters compared to Igan with only 29,132 voters, which must be addressed in the new maps.
The coalition also urged the EC to provide all necessary information to allow meaningful public feedback, including digital maps, land area of constituencies, reasons for including or excluding polling districts, and explanations for accepting or rejecting objections from the State government, local authorities, or affected voters.
“The EC is urged to modify the boundaries of all parliamentary and State constituencies, or at least receive objections and conduct local inquiries in constituencies excluded by the EC. The EC has no right to exclude any Sarawakian citizens by its own decision to exclude any constituencies from its delineation review,” it added.
They also called on the EC to introduce postal voting for Sarawakians living in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, or Labuan, stressing that many are compelled to live outside the State for work or education.
“Sarawakian voters who are forced to work, study, or live outside Sarawak must not be effectively denied their voting rights if they cannot afford the transportation costs and leave work to come home.
“The meaning of Sarawak’s presence in Malaysia might be called into question if voting rights for Sarawakian diaspora in other parts of Malaysia depend on their affordability, thereby creating a painful class divide,” they said.
With that, the coalition urged the Sarawak government to commit to serving its full term until Feb 13, 2027 to give the EC sufficient time to complete the delineation review and implement postal voting procedures.
The statement was endorsed by 23 organisations, including Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (PPDM), Dayak National Congress (DNC), Global Human Rights Federation ( Malaysia), Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS), Jaringan Tanah Hak Adat Bangsa Asal Sarawak (TAHABAS), Lawyer Kamek, Malaysian Action for Justice and Unity (MAJU) Sarawak Chapter, Pemangkin Research, Persatuan Mesra Komuniti Sibuti Miri, Persatuan Pendidikan D’Wira Kuching, Persatuan Progresif Dayak Kuching, Pertiwi Progresif, Pride Borneo, Purplelily Social Association, Saya Anak Sarawak (SAS), Sarawak AIDS Concern Society (SACS), Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), Sarawak OKU Skills Development Association (SOSDA), Sarawak Women For Women Society (SWWS), SAVE Rivers, Society of Entrepreneurial Educational Development, The Sarawak Initiatives (TSI), and Voices of Penan (KERUAN).
The groups said that these measures are crucial to upholding the democratic rights of Sarawakians and ensuring that the next State election truly reflects the will of the people, both within Sarawak and among the Sarawakian diaspora. — DayakDaily
