DUN Sarawak: No additional parliamentary seats until constitutional amendments are passed

KUCHING, Oct 14: Agreement in principle to add seats to Sabah and Sarawak Parliaments has not been legally valid as long as amendments to the Federal Constitution have not been approved, said Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.

The Deputy Minister in the Department of Premier (Laws, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) said that the agreement was a preliminary step to be distinguished from the process of relegation of constituencies currently underway in Sarawak.

"The composition of the Lok Sabha is established under Article 46 of the Federal Constitution, any additional seats for Sabah and Sarawak require a constitutional amendment approved with the support of two-thirds majority in Parliament.

"The re-confinement process was subsequently implemented by the Election Commission (EC) under Article 113 and Schedule Thirteen of the Federal Constitution", he said.

He said this in response to a question by Chieng Jin Ek (GPS-Bukit Assek) during the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Conference today.

In this regard, SPR's statement said that no proposal to add Parliamentary seats in Sarawak at the moment does not necessarily contradict agreement on principle by the Federal Government.

Clearly the Hasidah, both refer to different stages in the process.

The matter is also different from the addition of seats in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99, which was approved in 2025 and is now undergoing the Seventh Period Sarawak State Electoral Division Preliminary Confinement Study process.

The SPR has previously been conducting the review scores exhibition from 1 to 30 September 2026, in order to allow the public to research scores and present representations as per the stipulated allocation.

However, he said the implementation of the new DUN chair is also expected to be completed before the next state elections.

Therefore, any additional parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak will have to go through a legislative and constitutional process established before they can be formally implemented. - TVS