By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, July 5: A special one-day sitting of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) on July 7 will see the tabling of Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025 proposing an increase in the number of elected members in the House.
DUS Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar today said the Bill will be tabled by Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who is also the assemblyman for Asajaya.
“The First, Second and Third Readings of the Bill will be done on the same day,” he told a press conference at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here.
The sitting, officially the Second Meeting of the Fourth Session of the 19th Sarawak DUS (Special Meeting), will begin at 9am at Level 8 of the DUS Complex. It will open with a Proclamation Speech by the Speaker.
No private members’ motions under Standing Order 23 will be tabled during the sitting.
Asfia said the notice for the special sitting was issued on June 20, 2025, in accordance with Standing Order 8(3) of the DUS Standing Orders, which empowers the Speaker to call for an earlier sitting upon representation by the Chief Minister (now Premier) if public interest so requires.
Currently, Sarawak’s DUS comprises 82 elected members, with the last increase in composition occurring in 2014, an addition of 11 seats from the previous 71. Prior to that, the number rose from 56 to 62 seats in 1995, and from 62 to 71 seats in 2005.
“The power to increase the number of elected members lies with the Dewan, as provided under Article 14(1)(b) of the Sarawak State Constitution,” Asfia explained.
He stressed that unlike other amendments, a Bill on the composition of the House only requires a simple majority, not two-thirds, as stated in Article 41(3)(a) of the State Constitution.
He further cited Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, which allows for a review of seat composition after an interval of eight years, and Article 117, which provides that each elected member must represent one constituency.
At the same time, Asfia highlighted the massive size of certain parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak, coupled with growing voter populations and expectations, has placed increasing pressure on elected representatives.
For instance, Hulu Rajang spans 34,080 square kilometres, which is larger than the combined area of the states of Perlis and Melaka.
Similarly, Baram covers an area of 22,075 square kilometres, also exceeding the size of the two Peninsular states combined.
Meanwhile, Bintulu has the highest number of voters in Sarawak, with 113,599 registered voters, concentrated within 7,222 square kilometres and served by only four elected representatives.
These vast and often remote constituencies, made more challenging by difficult terrain and logistical barriers, have led to what Asfia described as representatives becoming “prisoners of geography.”
Asfia also emphasised that the proposed Bill deals only with increasing the number of DUS members, and not with delineating constituency boundaries, which remains under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission (EC).
“A clear line of demarcation must be drawn between the composition of the elected members in the DUS on one hand and the delineation of constituencies on the ground by EC.
“Because the delineation on the ground, on the constituencies, the DUS has no power. It is left to EC, which is a federal body,” he stressed.
Asked how many seats would be added, Asfia declined to reveal the number, stating that it would be announced by the Minister tabling the Bill.
As for whether an increase in DUS membership would affect the number of parliamentary seats, Asfia clarified that the two are separate matters.
“The increase of the DUS membership under Article 14 of the State Constitution is within the purview and ambit of State right. This, upon completion, will be passed to the National Parliament for endorsement.
“As for parliamentary seats, that requires two-thirds in the National Parliament, and is outside the ambit and jurisdiction of DUS.
“I am not dealing with parliamentary seats to be increased, which will be tabled in National Parliament—that requires two-thirds majority. Whereas this one is a simple majority within the parameters of the Dewan Undangan Negeri,” he emphasised.
Also present at the press conference were Abdul Karim, DUS deputy speaker Dato Idris Buang and DUS secretary Nur Azhar Bujang. – DayakDaily
