Civil groups raise alarm over Sarawak's 17 new seats

ROSE, BERSIH and allies warn that GPS is gerrymandering Sarawak’s electoral map ahead of imminent state elections

KUCHING: A coalition of civil society groups from Sarawak and across Malaysia has voiced serious concern over the manner in which Sarawak’s ruling coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), pushed through the creation of 17 new state constituencies ahead of the upcoming Sarawak state elections.

The organisations — Rise of Social Efforts Sarawak (ROSE), BERSIH, ENGAGE, Tindak Malaysia and Project Stability and Accountability Malaysia (SAMA) — issued a joint statement warning that the rapid expansion of seats appears designed to consolidate GPS’s already commanding grip on the Sarawak state legislative assembly.

In their statement, the groups said there is evidence to suggest that the 17 new constituencies — created through legislation passed in July last year — were drawn up to benefit GPS, and in particular its component party Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB).

“We are worried over evidence that the GPS parties are already allocating the new seats among themselves,” the coalition stated, adding that the seats have yet to receive Parliamentary approval.

The groups also pointed out that the Election Commission (EC) has not formally commenced the official redelineation process for Sarawak’s existing electoral boundaries — raising questions about whether due process is being followed.

“We urge the EC to look into this critical issue with full transparency and accountability to the rakyat,” the statement read.

The coalition called on the EC to conduct any redelineation exercise only after proper public consultation, taking into consideration population size, the geographic spread of existing seats, and the ethnic and demographic composition of affected communities.

The Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 was tabled on July 7, 2025 at a special one-day sitting of the Sarawak state legislative assembly. It was tabled by Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and state assemblyman for Asajaya under GPS.

During the tabling, Karim defended the move as both necessary and constitutionally sound, citing Sarawak’s growing voter base following the lowering of the minimum voting age from 21 to 18, as well as the state’s vast geographical landscape and large rural constituencies in need of stronger representation.

“In view of the increasing number of voters and the geographical complexity of Sarawak, we need to have more elected representatives to serve the rakyat,” he said.

Karim also cited Article 113(2) of the Federal Constitution, which permits a review of electoral boundaries in a state after eight years. With Sarawak’s last redelineation exercise carried out in 2015, he argued the timing was appropriate.

He confirmed that the EC would be the authority to determine the new electoral boundaries following the Bill’s passage, and that the process would be completed in time for the coming state election.

The urgency behind the seat expansion is underscored by the political calendar. The current Sarawak State Assembly term expires on December 18, 2026, and there is widespread speculation that GPS may call for early elections following the Gawai Dayak festivities in June.

GPS currently holds an overwhelming majority in the State Assembly, controlling 80 of the existing 82 seats. The only opposition presence belongs to Sarawak DAP, which holds the remaining two seats — Padungan and Pending.

Civil society groups argue that expanding the seat count under these circumstances, without a transparent and independent redelineation process, risks entrenching that dominance further rather than improving democratic representation for Sarawakians.

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