S'wak State Assembly: 17 new state seats would add RM140mil to annual spending, says NGO

KUCHING: A Sarawak-based NGO has raised concerns about the financial and electoral implications of increasing the state legislative assembly's membership from 82 to a record 99.

Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (ROSE) said the addition of 17 new members would involve an increase of nearly 21% in the state's annual expenditure on salaries for assemblymen and constituency development funds.