By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 2: Mas Gading MP, Mordi Bimol, supports the proposed 17 additional Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) seats in Sarawak but wants the accompanying redelineation exercise to be carried out fairly, transparently and without political gerrymandering.
While the increase in representation could help accommodate Sarawak’s population growth and vast geographical area, he stressed that any changes to electoral boundaries must uphold the principle of “one person, one vote”.
“I do not oppose the proposal to increase 17 new DUS seats in Sarawak. The increase in representation is Sarawak’s right and can be considered to accommodate population growth and geographical size,” he said in a statement today.
However, questions remain over whether the proposed boundaries would produce a more equitable distribution of voters, particularly in constituencies such as Serembu.
He pointed out that the DUS has only about 76.6 per cent of the average registered voter ratio and proposed expanding its boundaries or increasing its electorate to bring it closer to a fairer balance.
The wider disparity between rural and urban constituencies also warrants scrutiny with some rural seats having only about 10,000 to 11,000 voters while Piasau has nearly 35,000. Against this disparity, the Mas Gading MP wants the Election Commission (EC) to explain the technical basis for the representation gap and how it determined the distribution of the proposed new DUN seats.
For Mas Gading itself, the proposed inclusion of DUS Serembu is broadly acceptable, given the historical, cultural and linguistic ties as well as local connections among the Bidayuh community in Bau.
He argued the same consideration should apply when assessing administrative boundaries elsewhere in the constituency.
“DUS Opar for instance, falls within Lundu District but has strong socio-cultural and community ties with Bau. Such realities should be taken into account when the EC reviews the proposed boundaries,” he added.
He also questioned the criteria for moving DUS areas between parliamentary constituencies, particularly whether such decisions were driven by administrative convenience or could potentially give political advantage to particular parties.
The proposed expansion of the DUS should also be viewed alongside the size and workload of Sarawak’s parliamentary constituencies, according to him.
Currently, MPs have to cover areas encompassing up to four DUS seats, raising questions over when an increase in parliamentary representation will be pursued in parallel.
With the EC’s proposed redelineation now on display from Sept 1 to 30, he urged community leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local authorities and registered voters to examine the proposals and submit written representations or objections by Sept 30.
“Their voices and participation are valuable to ensure that this boundary mapping truly reflects the needs, voting convenience and stability of local communities for the future of Sarawak,” he said. — DayakDaily
