Sibu: The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak Vice Chairman Oscar Ling Chai Yew has raised concerns over the increase in Sarawak’s state assembly seats from 82 to 99, warning that any unfair delineation could be used as a political tool to strengthen Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) grip on power.
Oscar Ling who is also Sibu MP stressed that electoral boundaries must uphold democratic principles, particularly the “one person, one vote” standard, to ensure fair representation.
“State assembly seats are not only meant to represent the voice of the people in each constituency but also to determine who forms the government.
“If delineation ignores population balance, it can easily be manipulated to serve political interests,” he said in response to the passing of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 on 7 July 2025, which increased the number of seats in the DUN from 82 to 99.
Oscar Ling also questioned the rationale behind increasing the number of state seats when Sarawak’s 82 current seats are sufficient to support parliamentary expansion.
“If increasing parliamentary seats is the goal, then under the premise that each parliamentary seat consists of two state seats, the current 82 seats are sufficient to form 41 parliamentary constituencies.
“This would mean adding 10 new parliamentary seats to the existing 31, which would help Sarawak and Sabah push for the one-third parliamentary seat share in the future,” he said.
He further criticised the state government’s claim that more state seats would boost development.
According to Oscar Ling, current development efforts, driven by Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) funds is not ideal as projects vary greatly in quality and lack long-term planning.
He proposed that the state government should consider establishing a Rural Transformation Agency to oversee proper planning for rural development instead of letting individual representatives carry out scattered, uncoordinated projects.
“Moreover, having more seats means the value of each seat may be diluted, especially in a one-party dominant situation,” Oscar Ling said, referring to GPS’s control of 80 out of 82 state seats. “New seats may do little more than appease component parties and consolidate power.”
Oscar Ling also highlighted demographic changes, with increasing rural-to-urban migration, particularly among the youth.
He urged that constituency delineation reflect urban population density and not be based solely on land area.
“The state’s previous 60/40 rural-urban development ratio must also be reviewed, as people of all ethnicities moving to cities hope to find better lives there.
“After all, Sarawak’s future development will focus more on technology and green energy industries,” he said.
In closing, Oscar Ling emphasised the need for electoral delineation to support a mature and progressive democracy, warning that any manipulation for political advantage would undermine the democratic process.
