Senator Abun Sui Anyit
KUCHING (July 13): Senator Abun Sui Anyit hopes one of many 17 new state seats for Sarawak can be positioned between Telang Usan and Belaga districts.
The PKR Hulu Rajang division head mentioned this space – residence to Orang Ulu communities just like the Kenyah, Kayan, Penan, Punan, and Sekapan – is huge and among the many most distant and logistically difficult in Sarawak.
He defined these teams reside deep in mountainous terrain, removed from administrative hubs, and are in dire want of stronger political illustration to make sure their voices are heard within the State Legislative Meeting (DUN) and in broader authorities decision-making.
“If geographical issue is certainly the premise to extend state seats in Sarawak, then it’s crucial that one of many new seats is established in Belaga and Telang Usan.
“Belaga district alone covers over 19,400 sq. kilometres (km) – bigger than the mixed states of Perlis (821 sq. km) and Melaka (1,664 sq. km).
“But, this huge district has just one DUN (state) seat (Belaga) and a small portion is within the Murum seat, which makes it extraordinarily troublesome for elected representatives to successfully serve the extensively scattered rural communities there,” he mentioned in a press release at present.
He was responding to information experiences quoting Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof as saying the rise of state seats from 82 to 99 in Sarawak was in keeping with the state’s geography.
On July 7, the State Legislative Meeting handed the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Invoice, 2025 so as to add 17 new seats.
In accordance with Abun Sui, the Election Fee (EC) and the Sarawak authorities should be sure that this improve in seats shouldn’t be merely symbolic or political, however actually ensures inclusivity and justice for all ethnicities and areas, together with rural areas which have been underrepresented.
“The folks of Belaga district who’ve sacrificed lots for the 2 mega hydroelectric tasks — Bakun Dam and Murum Dam — have lengthy hoped for Belaga to be upgraded to the thirteenth division of Sarawak. The addition of state seats needs to be seen as a possibility to start out taking steps in the direction of realising this aspiration,” he added.
