Kuching: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen has urged the Election Commission (EC) to prioritise the interests of Sarawakians in any redelineation exercise, warning against processes that favor political parties over the people.
“Sarawak belongs to its people, not to the behest or interests of any political parties. That is the true meaning of Sarawak First,” he said in a statement regarding the proposal to increase the Sarawak state seats from 82 to 99.
While generally supportive of the increase in seats in Sarawak, Yii said any proposed delineation exercise must first incorporate the constitutional principles on apportionment, area weightage, and local ties and also allow sufficient due process for public scrutiny and consultation.
“This is to ensure any redelineation upholds the interest of all Sarawakians in the different regions rather than the interest of any political parties,” he said.
He pointed out that the Federal Constitution, under Subsection 2(c) of the Thirteenth Schedule, mandates that the number of electors in each constituency ought to be approximately equal, with exceptions only for rural constituencies facing geographical disadvantages.
“Historically, this meant a maximum-to-minimum ratio of 2:1 (i.e., a rural constituency could have as little as half the voters of an urban constituency).
“However, what we see today is that the malapportionment is outrageous: P219 Miri has 149,441 voters, while P207 Igan has only 29,132 voters – a ratio of 5:1. Similarly, N75 Senadin has 73,430 voters, while N26 Gedong has only 10,380 voters – a ratio of 7:1,” he said.
He said the EC is constitutionally bound to reduce these disparities.
“Yet, my constituency of Bandar Kuching, with almost similar voters to Petrajaya, is being ignored and not getting any new seats, while Petrajaya gains two new seats.
“This somehow creates two classes of urban voters, those in Petrajaya that seem ‘worthy of more representation’ and those not, unfortunately in Bandar Kuching. And these two classes of voters are also not limited to the urban areas but also in the rural areas,” he said.
Yii emphasised that, while acknowledging the “weightage of area” provision in the constitution for rural areas, it is not a blank cheque to over-represent all rural constituencies.
“It is conditional on two factors, which are a large geographical area and genuine difficulty in reaching electors.
“That is why in my view, places like P216 Hulu Rajang (size of Pahang), P220 Baram (larger than Perak), and N64 Baleh, N65 Belaga, and N66 Murum (larger than Kedah) do have legitimate claims for over-representation as these areas deserve weightage,” he said.
Yii added that P207 Igan has an area of only one-third of Negeri Sembilan. Yet, it has fewer voters than Hulu Rajang, Baram, Selangau, Bintulu, and Kapit – all of which are larger in both area and electorate.
As for N26 Gedong, he said it is an even clearer example of over-representation: nearly half of Sarawak’s 82 state constituencies have both a larger area and a larger electorate than Gedong, whose main town is less than two hours by car from the State Legislature.
Yii also questioned why Igan, Tanjong Manis, and Mukah receive preferential treatment over larger constituencies.
“Are there also 2 classes of rural seats, some deserving more representation and some not?
“This, to me, is not rural weightage; this is political manipulation. Are there two classes of rural voters, those in the strongholds of a certain party who get better representation and everyone else who does not have that privilege?” he asked.
He said that when GPS claims to champion “Sarawak First,” it means it must champion all Sarawakians regardless of race, religion, or demographics.
“Yet if these rumoured leaked redrawing of lines and redelineation of new seats instead divide Sarawakians into two different classes, both in urban and rural areas. This is not “Sarawak First”; this seems more like “Party First,” he said.
Yii said the increase in Sarawak’s state seats from 82 to 99 was finalised and came into force on 8 August 2025 after being approved in DUN Sarawak.
“There is nothing left for Parliament to ‘approve’ regarding the number of seats. The only thing requiring Parliamentary approval is the final boundaries drawn by the EC.
“Yet, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof has stated that Parliament will approve the exercise in July. This timeline implies that the EC has been instructed to complete the entire delineation process from local inquiries to final reports within just four months,” he said.
He further said that there must be sufficient due process and time given for scrutiny to ensure all interests of Sarawakians, not political parties, are better represented, including those from urban and rural areas.
That is why he called upon the EC to act independently, resist any pressure from any political parties and adhere to the constitutional demands, which are:
- Adhere to the “approximately equal” requirement and reduce the outrageous 5:1 and 7:1 disparities.
- Apply “weightage of area” only to genuinely large and inaccessible constituencies, not political strongholds.
- Respect local ties and avoid gerrymandering.
- Allow sufficient time for public participation – not a rushed four-month timeline.
