Kuching: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong Wui Wui delivered a scathing critique in the State Legislative Assembly today, opposing the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025, which proposes to expand the number of state assembly seats from 82 to 99.
Describing the bill as “politically motivated and undemocratic,” Violet Yong said that the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has chosen to prioritise adding more politicians instead of addressing the people’s real needs.
“This move does not reflect the rakyat’s demand. The people are not asking for more state seats. They are asking for fairer policies, better governance, and stronger representation especially at the national level,” Violet said during her address.
Violet highlighted a longstanding issue in Sarawak’s electoral makeup – urban underrepresentation. Despite rapid urban voter growth due to Undi18 and automatic registration, the bill does not address the urban-rural imbalance.
“Yes, our number of registered voters has surged. In 2015, Sarawak had around 1.14 million voters. As of 2025, that number has risen to slightly more than 2 million, a jump of more than 60%.
“But does this justify a sudden 20% jump in state seats? The answer is a resounding no because the increase in voters is not evenly spread. It is concentrated in urban and semi-urban areas, where people are migrating for jobs, education, and opportunities,” she said.
She added, currently, only 12 out of 82 seats are urban – a mere 15% – while the remaining 85% are rural or semi-rural. This imbalance is expected to widen under the proposed expansion.
“Let’s take examples. Urban constituencies like Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa and Pelawan have 3 to 4 times more voters than rural seats like Gedong, Sadong Jaya or Lingga, just to name a few. In my constituency, Pending, there are nearly 30,000 voters based on the 2021 figure. Gedong, a rural seat, has less than 10,000. Yet both elect one ADUN.
“This means a vote in Gedong carries almost three times more weight than a vote in Pending. That is a direct violation of the democratic principle of equal representation.
“And what’s worse, despite urban voters contributing more in taxes and economic activity, the only two opposition held seats in the whole of Sarawak which are Padungan and Pending, are denied constituency allocations. So, is this what “representation” means in GPS’ vocabulary? Reward your safe seats, punish your critics?” she asked.
Violet accused GPS of gerrymandering, claiming that the new seats are being added in politically safe rural areas while densely populated urban constituencies, many of which lean toward the opposition, remain unchanged.
“This is strategic expansion, not fair redelineation. If Petra Jaya, a PBB stronghold, gets two new seats, why not Bandar Kuching or Stampin which have higher voter populations?” she questioned.
“Though the details have yet to be finalised, the word on the ground is: 10 out of the 17 new seats will likely go to PBB, 3 to SUPP, and 2 each to PRS and PDP.”
Violet also raised concerns about the financial implications of the seat increase, citing the millions in annual costs required for salaries, administration, and facilities.
“We still have rural schools without electricity and clinics without enough staff. But we can afford 17 more politicians? Where are our priorities?” she asked.
She pointed out that some ministers are already collecting dual salaries, as both ADUNs and ministers or assistant ministers.
Turning the focus to federal representation, Violet urged the Sarawak government to push for an increase in parliamentary seats instead, citing the state’s limited voice in national policymaking.
“Sarawak only holds 31 out of 222 parliamentary seats. That’s the real inequality. Why is there no urgency from GPS to fix this?” she asked.
She noted that Article 46 of the Federal Constitution does not tie the number of parliamentary seats to the number of state seats.
“Sarawak’s number of Parliamentary seats can be increased without increasing its state seats,” she said.
In her powerful conclusion, Violet summed up the mood of the opposition:
“This Bill is not about democracy. It is about control. It does not serve the people, it protects the powerful. It does not correct injustice, it deepens it. It does not reflect public demand, it suppresses it. If GPS truly respected democracy, they would have fixed the imbalance, not exploit it. But today, Sarawak GPS has shown us exactly what they fear: a fair fight.”
