By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 8: Sarawak activist Peter John Jaban has called on the Election Commission (EC) and the relevant authorities to consider establishing a new Merdang parliamentary constituency in the next parliamentary redelineation exercise.
He said this in a statement referring to a leaked EC proposal with plans to expand the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) from 82 to 99 seats, with 17 new constituencies proposed across the State, including Tabuan Jaya, Maong, Samarindah, Sungai Serin, Tanah Mas, and Tudan, as well as the renaming of the Igan parliamentary constituency to Batang Lassa.
Peter explained that Merdang is a long-established geographical and community area which has historically been incorporated into larger electoral constituencies, as it is currently part of the Kota Samarahan parliamentary constituency and Stakan State constituency.
Due to rapid development in Kota Samarahan, he said, there has been significant population growth, which justifies a comprehensive review of electoral boundaries to ensure fair and effective parliamentary representation.
“The proposed Merdang parliamentary constituency would involve the creation of a new Dewan Rakyat seat carved out from the existing Kota Samarahan parliamentary area.
“Such a constituency could provide a more focused parliamentary platform for addressing the needs of the rapidly developing Merdang area and its surrounding communities,” he said.
Peter added that the area is also a mixed community with a majority Dayak population. It is home to many long-established Iban villages, and the name ‘Merdang’ itself carries historical and cultural significance and is already an iconic identity recognised by the local community.
He also said that electoral redelineations should reflect population growth, geographical realities, community identity, historical development, and the need for effective representation, and this would be shown in the creation of a Merdang parliamentary constituency, which would enable its MP to address local issues better, improve access to federal development programmes, and ensure that the voices of both urban residents and long-established Dayak communities are heard more effectively at the national level.
However, he also clarified that his proposal was not to diminish the importance of the existing Kota Samarahan constituency or any other community, but rather a call for electoral boundaries to evolve in accordance with population growth, geographical realities, community development, and the changing needs of the people.
“The people of Merdang deserve fair and effective representation that reflects their population growth, geographical area, historical roots, community identity, and contribution to the development of Sarawak,” he said. — DayakDaily
