By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Aug 5: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has questioned whether the Election Commission’s (EC) latest move to initiate the electoral redelineation process will leave sufficient time for Sarawak’s proposed 17 additional State seats to be implemented before the upcoming State election.
His comments followed the EC’s publication of notices on the proposed redelineation exercise, just days after a document purportedly outlining the creation of 17 new State constituencies was leaked online.
“The EC has finally reached the final stage and, with the election approaching, it has issued the notice.
“In my opinion, this should have been done months ago. At this stage, we are aware that there are procedures that must be followed for any increase in the number of seats.
“One of these procedures requires notices to be displayed at designated locations. I was surprised to see this happening only now. It may simply be a case of ‘melepas batuk di tangga’ (doing the bare minimum),” he told reporters after a press conference on the Sarawak Umrah and Islamic Tourism Expo Festival (SUITEX2026) at the ministry’s meeting room today.
Abdul Karim acknowledged that the redelineation exercise must comply with statutory requirements, including the display of public notices and the provision of time for objections to be submitted.
However, he raised concerns over whether the full process could be completed before the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUNS) is dissolved or reaches the end of its current term.
“If the Assembly is automatically dissolved, we only have until February 2027. The election must then be held within 60 days.
“Can all the necessary procedural and legal requirements really be completed between now and February 2027?” he asked.
He said that if the exercise could not be concluded in time, the EC’s latest move could give the impression that steps were being taken without achieving the intended outcome.
“What we wanted when we proposed the additional 17 seats more than a year ago was for them to be implemented.
“The EC should have acted immediately, including bringing the matter to Parliament. Why wait until we are almost at the end before starting the process?” he said.
Nevertheless, Abdul Karim acknowledged that the EC had at least demonstrated progress by initiating the redelineation process.
He added that the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government, under the leadership of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, would determine its own timing for the dissolution of the DUNS.
The EC’s publication of the notices came days after a document allegedly detailing the proposed creation of 17 new State constituencies and adjustments to existing boundaries was leaked online on Aug 4.
In July 2025, the DUNS approved a motion seeking the addition of 17 State seats, which would increase the total number of constituencies from 82 to 99. However, the proposal can only take effect after the EC completes the redelineation exercise and the recommendations are approved by Parliament. – DayakDaily
