By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 8: The upcoming redelineation exercise in Sarawak must be carefully undertaken to improve fair representation for the State’s diverse communities and ensure that the allocation of new seats is not dominated by a single political party.
While congratulating the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUNS) for a successful special sitting yesterday (July 7), Sarawak activist Peter John Jaban cautioned that the Electoral Commission’s (EC) redrawing of electoral boundaries and the subsequent seat allocations among coalition partners must not perpetuate outdated political paradigms.
Instead, he emphasised, the exercise must enhance the voices of the rakyat and ensure that Sarawak’s evolving demographic realities, challenges and aspirations are reflected in its governance structure.
“The last such increase was carried out in 2014, during a very different political and social landscape. Today, we enjoy far greater transparency in government, but if Sarawakians are to support 17 more lawmakers, paying their salaries and pensions, then this must work for the rakyat.
“It must support not only our long-term rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) but also provide meaningful, improved representation for voters in Sarawak,” he said in a statement today.
Peter John, who is also the founder of Saya Anak Sarawak, highlighted the significant shift in Sarawak’s demographic composition, particularly due to large-scale rural-to-urban migration, much of which has involved the Dayak community.
“Sarawak is now estimated to be up to 65 per cent urbanised, and a large portion of those urban migrants are Dayak. We no longer live in a time when most Dayaks remain in ancestral communities. Both urban and rural constituencies now present a more complex voter landscape, which can no longer be effectively represented by outdated, race-based system of a decade ago,” he said.
He stressed that a truly effective redelineation must take into account the multi-ethnic makeup of urban constituencies, many of which are densely populated, while ensuring that rural communities’ unique needs are not neglected.
“Today’s Sarawakians face 21st-century challenges; lack of infrastructure, urban deprivation and poverty, rural connectivity gaps, livelihoods, and loss of culture and community. These are the concerns that our new elected representatives must address and the redelineation must allow them to do so without political or racial bias,” he added.
Peter John also pointed to the importance of enabling proper representation for all parties within the ruling coalition to maintain healthy democratic checks and balances in the DUNS.
“We are in a situation where the component parties of the ruling coalition require stronger representation to serve as a balancing voice. This cannot fall solely on a small handful of opposition lawmakers, particularly when one of them was ejected from yesterday’s sitting.
“Therefore, we hope that the allocation of seats takes this into account and is not dominated by one single party. The people of Sarawak need choice among parties which understand their needs and can provide checks and balances to each other for the good of the people,” he asserted.
Despite Sarawak’s strong record of racial and religious harmony, Peter John called on all stakeholders to recognise the changing face of the State and the need for a more inclusive, forward-thinking approach to representation.
“This redelineation should not just be bigger, it must be better. It must meet the real needs of the people and give DUNS the best chance to serve them. The rakyat must be represented in the House — that is its sole purpose. Let us hope for a DUNS that is multi-ethnic, responsive, and truly relevant that we all deserve for the next decade,” he concluded.
The DUNS has passed the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025, which seeks to increase the number of elected members in the DUNS form 82 to 99.
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who tabled the Bill, described it as the largest seat increase undertaken in the State’s history and a move that would ensure fairer representation across Sarawak’s vast and diverse constituencies.
Abdul Karim, who is also Minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development, pointed out that the Bill was in line with Sarawak’s broader aspirations, including increasing its parliamentary representation under the MA63 framework, which seeks one-third representation for Sabah and Sarawak in the Dewan Rakyat. — DayakDaily
