By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, May 19: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) information chief Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah stresses that refusal to endorse Sarawak’s 17 new State seats is disrespecting the voice of the majority of the people of Sarawak.
Abdul Karim said instead of just endorsing these seats to pave the way for Sarawak’s impending election, debate in Parliament has been surrounding the parliamentary seats that may arise due to the creation of the 17 constituencies.
“Regarding the 17 seats, what needs to be done in Parliament is only endorsement. If it is not endorsed, it means the voice of the majority and the people of Sarawak is not being respected.
“Instead, there has been debate in West Malaysia about parliamentary seats, but that is not the issue. Sarawak is not discussing parliamentary seats. That is for Parliament to decide, together with the Election Commission (EC),” said Abdul Karim, who is also Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, during a press conference on the sidelines of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly.
Should there be an increase in seats through delineation, Abdul Karim said, that is under the EC’s jurisdiction.
He explained that according to the Federal Constitution, re-delineation must be carried out every eight years, and Sarawak has exceeded the eight-year mandatory review period.
“What we want is endorsement of the 17 new State seats so they can be used in the upcoming State election. Parliamentary seats remain unchanged at 31,” said Abdul Karim, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief and Asajaya assemblyman.
When the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Azalina Othman Said, speaks about matters related to parliamentary seat arrangements, as commented by Abdul Karim, he argued that such discussions are not typically made at the political level but are under the jurisdiction of the EC.
He further stated that what is required is simply the endorsement of decisions that have already been agreed upon, and that failure to do so could be interpreted as not respecting the position and rights of Sarawak.
“This matter has already been endorsed by almost all elected representatives in the State Legislative Assembly, and that is how I see it,” he said. — DayakDaily
