Sarawak redelineation passed

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of state constituencies in Sarawak has been increased by 11 to 82 following the passing of a motion in the Dewan Rakyat on the redelineation of parliamentary and state constituencies in the state.

The motion tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak went through bloc voting, with 130 MPs supporting and 72 opposing it.

The new constituencies are Batu Kitang, Stakan, Serembu, Bukit Semuja, Gedong, Kabong, Tellian, Bukit Goram, Murum, Samalaju and Mulu.

The number of federal or parliamentary constituencies remains at 31, but some had their boundaries altered to suit the creation of the 11 state constituencies.

The Opposition’s attempts to defeat the motion failed when Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia announced the results of the bloc vote.

“A total of 72 votes were against the motion while 130 MPs supported it. This means that the Government garnered 18 votes above the simple majority of 112 needed to pass the motion,” he said to cheers from the Barisan Nasional MPs.

Earlier, when Najib tabled the motion on the Report on the Redelineation of Sarawak Electoral Boundaries, he said it was to improve the delivery of services by the elected representatives.

The exercise was necessary because there had been an 18% increase in the number of voters in Sarawak since the last exercise in 2005, he added.

“This move, in particular, will benefit people in the interior with the aim of improving the economy and spurring development in Sarawak,” he said.

During the debates, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri defended the Election Commission, saying that it conducted the redelineation exercise professionally and transparently.

“We are disappointed that some parties labelled the EC as being not independent, and unfair and biased.

“How is that possible when there are so many of you seated here in the Dewan?” she said, referring to Opposition MPs who won in Selangor, Penang and Kelantan in the last general election.

She added that ample time had been given to the people to lodge protests against the redelineation when the proposed recommendations were made public.

Julian Tan Kok Ping (DAP-Stampin) said there was an uneven distribution of voters in the rural and urban areas and the redelineation did not reflect the “one man one vote” principle.

Nancy said the EC had gone down to the ground right into the interior of Sarawak in undertaking the exercise. Its aim, she added, was to give the various communities from the state the opportunity to participate in the next state elections, due by June 2016.