By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 19: Increasing Sarawak seats to 99 is not about “appeasing trees” but about building a stronger Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) as a shield against federal overreach, said Batu Kitang assemblyman Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang in a statement commemorating Sarawak’s 62nd Independence Day.
Reflecting on Sarawak’s historic return of administration from British colonial rule on July 22, 1963, Lo emphasised that Sarawak was never handed over to Malaya or Putrajaya, but to Sarawakians themselves.
He said today’s struggle centres on safeguarding Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and the 17-seat increase in the DUN is part of strengthening Sarawak’s autonomy within the federation.
“Sarawak, with a landmass nearly the size of Peninsular Malaysia, remains underrepresented, with only RM5.9 billion in federal development funding this year — the lowest among all 13 regions despite contributing nearly 61 per cent of Malaysia’s oil reserves and over 60 per cent of its gas reserves.
“We have contributed almost RM1 trillion to the national coffers since the Petroleum Development Act (PDA74) was enforced, yet received only 5 per cent in return,” he said in a statement today.
Lo criticised Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak for opposing the seat increase while ignoring glaring disparities, notably the over 400 state seats in Peninsular Malaysia versus Sarawak’s current 82.
He described DAP’s criticisms of elected representatives as “wakil tanah” and “wakil trees” as offensive to rural Sarawakians.
“DAP shouts about ADUS (elected representatives) salaries but conveniently ignores their own plush allowances as five-term MPs and ADUS. They dismiss the real value of each new ADUS in building roads, bridges, flood mitigation, rural clinics, youth centres, and even anti-drug initiatives,” he said.
Lo stressed that Malaysia is a federation formed by Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak under MA63, not a unitary state, and warned against calls for a “one person, one vote” system which would effectively cement Peninsular Malaysia’s dominance and sideline East Malaysian representation due to small population.
“When DAP Sarawak was in power from 2018 to 2020, they did nothing to repeal PDA74 or champion MA63. Now, from the sidelines, they attack landmark GPS initiatives like the sovereign wealth fund, hydrogen buses, free tertiary education, and this rightful seat increase,” he pointed out.
He highlighted that the Federal Constitution allows constituency sizes to vary based on geography and hardship, noting that while some Peninsula lawmakers serve 125,000 people with 4G and highways, Sarawak’s lawmakers often serve remote communities scattered across jungles without basic infrastructure.
“Representation should not merely be about headcount. It should be about reachability, service access, and physical distance as well.
“Increasing seats to 99 brings governance closer to rural people, including farmers, elders, and smallholders to ensure better service delivery across our vast, underdeveloped areas,” Lo asserted.
He also noted that while there is no legal link between State seats and parliamentary seats, history has shown that increases in DUS seats bolster Sarawak’s case for more parliamentary representation, crucial for pushing towards the one-third representation promised under MA63.
“Does anyone seriously believe DAP’s opposition to these 17 seats is about saving money? Or is it because most of the new seats are rural, where GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) is strong?” he questioned.
He viewed DAP Sarawak’s objection as merely echoing Malayan fears of losing political dominance should GPS become stronger.
“Their true objective is to preserve an urban-heavy imbalance that benefits them,” Lo said, cautioning Sarawak not to repeat Sabah’s mistake of allowing Malayan parties to establish footholds and fracture regional unity.
He stressed that a strong, Sarawak-based DUN remains the best safeguard against federal overreach.
“Winning these seats will give us greater negotiating power over our rights — on oil and gas, education, healthcare, taxation, and MA63.
“Let us move forward together — focused, principled, and united as One Sarawak, One Voice, One-Third Representation. Happy Sarawak Independence Day,” he said in extending Sarawak Day wishes to all. — DayakDaily
