By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 6: Sarawak’s plan to use the proposed 17 additional State seats in the coming State election may no longer be possible due to delays in the redelineation process, says Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secretary-general Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
Nanta said while he agreed with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Information chief Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah’s concerns over the timing of the Election Commission’s (EC) process, he did not want to speculate on the reasons behind the delay.
However, he acknowledged that the delay could mean Sarawak would miss the opportunity to have the additional seats implemented before the next polls.
“Our hope was that we could use the 17 seats for the coming State election. It looks like that may not happen,” he told reporters when met after the Integrity and Excellence Day of the Sarawak Construction Industry 2026 (IECONS 2026) held at Construction Industry and Development Board (CIDB) Sarawak Complex here today.
Nanta said the proposed increase from the current 82 State seats to 99 seats was not merely about adding more constituencies, but would also serve as a foundation for Sarawak to pursue more parliamentary seats in the future.
“The bigger implication is not just the 17 seats. The important thing is that we use the additional 17 seats to add to the existing 82, making it 99.
“When the time comes, we want to create more parliamentary constituencies for Sarawak,” said the Kapit MP.
He said strengthening Sarawak and Sabah’s representation in the Dewan Rakyat was crucial to safeguard their interests, particularly on matters involving constitutional amendments and legislation affecting both regions.
Nanta said the long-discussed objective was to restore Sarawak and Sabah’s representation to one-third of seats in Parliament.
“This is to safeguard the interests of Sarawak and Sabah in the Dewan Rakyat.
“If we have slightly more than one-third representation, it means that without the agreement of Sarawak and Sabah MPs, constitutional amendments or the passing of new Acts related to the interests of Sarawak and Sabah cannot simply be approved without their support.
“That is why the implication is significant,” he explained.
On whether the EC’s timeline of more than a year was too long, Nanta said he could not judge the commission’s internal process.
“Whether it is reasonable or not, we do not know what process they need to go through. But within this period of more than one year, it should have been possible,” he said.
Nanta also welcomed the proposed new constituencies, including Melekun seat in the Kapit division, saying the entire proposal for 17 new seats should be supported.
He noted that the proposal had already been approved by the Sarawak Legislative Assembly and would need to proceed through the federal-level process. — DayakDaily
