Proposed allocation of Sarawak's new state assembly seats circulating on social media fraternity

The social media fraternity was abuzz with rumours surrounding the proposed allocation of Sarawak’s 17 new state assembly seats which have yet to be approved by the relevant authorities and bodies in our country which may be the deliberate attempts by mischievous cyber troopers to create confusion and divert public attention. As the Information Chief of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), I was asked to comment on this matter but had politely dismissed claims that political parties had already secured the additional seats.

As I have mentioned to our media friends…suddenly, some people are saying, out of 17 seats, 10 are guaranteed for PBB, three for Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), and so on which I do not think PBB or SUPP has the authority to claim seats at this stage. There are no seats yet. I personally do not even know where the seats are.

During last year’s DUN Sitting in November, I was tasked to table the motion to increase the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats from 82 to 99, explained that the proposal still requires approval from our Parliament and the Election Commission (EC) before it can be finalised. After state assembly approval, it will be sent to Parliament for endorsement. Once approved, it becomes the EC’s responsibility to determine where the additional seats will be located.

I have called on the general public to be wary of misleading reports especially circulating on social media because perhaps these stories were released to create confusion) among us. We are still waiting for Parliament’s endorsement. Why should be stories about parties arguing over which seats they will get? It could be mischievous cyber troopers or even “actors” from Peninsular Malaysia trying to divert attention so that we quarrel instead of focusing on Parliament.

I have explained on the approval process of the proposed seats and also clarified that it must follow the legal procedures. Our state assembly has the power to propose state assembly seats…the EC can only determine the constituencies after going to the ground and displaying their proposals. The people have the right to decide.

For the record, the DUN motion received near-unanimous support, with only two Opposition members not backing it, and expressed confidence that Parliament would endorse the increase. Unless the Federal’s Minister of Law is unaware of the law, we do not have the authority to approve parliamentary seats. When I tabled the motion, it was only for the state to decide. Let the process go smoothly and Parliament will endorse it.