EC denies report of 15 new parliamentary seats for Sarawak

KUCHING, Sept 25 — The Election Commission (EC) has denied a report claiming that Sarawak’s parliamentary constituencies would be increased, saying there is currently no proposal to alter the number of federal seats in the state.

EC secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus said no documents had been shared indicating that Sarawak’s parliamentary constituencies would be increased to any particular number.

“The EC wishes to emphasise that there is currently no proposal to increase the number of parliamentary constituencies involving areas in Sarawak, as alleged by the newspaper to involve discussions related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” he said in a statement.

Khairul Shahril said the only redelineation exercise currently being undertaken by the EC was the Seventh Sarawak Electoral Constituency Redelineation Review, with its proposals being displayed for public inspection from September 1 to 30.

The review proposes 17 new state constituencies, increasing the number of Sarawak Legislative Assembly seats from 82 to 99, as well as changes to the names of several existing state constituencies and one parliamentary constituency.

He urged the public to refer only to verified information on the redelineation exercise through the EC’s official portal and statements issued by the commission.

The denial follows a Berita Harian report earlier today claiming Sarawak could see 15 new parliamentary constituencies under a proposed electoral redelineation exercise, which would increase the state’s representation in the Dewan Rakyat from 31 to 46 seats.

The report said the proposal was aimed at moving Sabah and Sarawak’s combined parliamentary representation towards one-third of the Dewan Rakyat, in line with the MA63. — The Borneo Post