By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 25: Chief political secretary to Sarawak Premier Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman has dismissed speculation that the upcoming Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUNS) one-day special sitting will involve tabling a bill to increase the number of parliamentary and State seats.
He clarified that, while seat additions typically arise in conjunction with elections, suggestions that Sarawak is heading for an early Sarawak election are premature.
“Certainly, during elections there are often discussions about adding seats, but to suggest that the State election is around the corner — we’re still far from that.
“I’ve read the speculation, but that’s all it is — speculation. I myself am not aware of anything concrete,” he told TVS when asked about the matter Tuesday (June 24).
The Tupong assemblyman added that, so far, no official information has been communicated regarding the actual agenda of the special sitting.
“I’m not entirely sure. We understand that the Special DUN Sarawak Sitting will be held in early July, and we’ve been invited to an initial briefing session to provide an overview of the key matters.
“However, as of now, we’ve yet to receive any specific details on what will be discussed during the sitting,” he said.
The special sitting is scheduled for July 7, with a report on DayakDaily suggesting that a bill proposing the addition of 15 parliamentary and 17 State seats may be tabled.
Previously, the Technical Committee under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) was established to examine proposals to increase parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
The proposal has received in-principle support during MTPMA63 meetings, as highlighted by Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, and aligns with early agreements contained in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and the Cobbold Commission Report.
Currently, Sarawak holds 31 parliamentary seats, while Sabah holds 25 out of the total 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat. — DayakDaily
