‘No contradiction’: Abang Johari explains why EC says no Sarawak seat proposal yet

Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg says the state’s seat increase still needs Parliament’s nod before the Election Commission can act. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

First Published: Sunday, 27 Sep 2026 11:26 AM MYT

KUCHING, Sept 27 — There is no contradiction between the federal government’s agreement in principle to increase parliamentary representation for Sarawak and Sabah and the Election Commission’s (EC) statement that there is currently no proposal to increase Sarawak’s parliamentary seats, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said the two statements referred to different stages of the process, with the federal government’s agreement still requiring parliamentary approval before the EC could begin the formal process of reviewing the constituencies.

“To me, those are different messages, and there is no contradiction. There are processes to go through before an increase to the parliamentary seats in Sarawak,” he told a press conference after launching the Sarawakku Sayang 2026 programme in Betong yesterday.

Abang Johari said the federal government had agreed in principle to increase parliamentary representation for Sarawak and Sabah, but the matter must first be endorsed by Parliament through a Bill.

Once the Bill is passed, he said the EC would proceed with the next stage, including the public display of proposed constituencies to allow for objections before making further recommendations.

“What has been agreed in principle needs to go through the process. The EC official said there is no proposal because it is still in the process.

“Just like the new state seats that had been endorsed in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN).

“The new seats must be approved by the Sarawak DUN and then the EC proceeds with the next stage,” he said.

On Sept 11, Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim said the Cabinet had agreed to increase parliamentary representation for Sarawak and Sabah.

However, on Sept 25, EC secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus said there was currently no proposal to increase the number of parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Abang Johari said he hoped the federal government would fulfil matters discussed and agreed upon during previous Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Committee meetings, including increased allocations for Sarawak.

“Several matters have been discussed and having more allocations (for Sarawak) was among those discussed and decided. We hope it will be included in Budget 2027,” he said.

He had previously said Sarawak hoped funding-related matters agreed upon in the spirit of MA63 would be reflected in Budget 2027, which the Prime Minister is scheduled to table in Parliament this Oct 9.— The Borneo Post

* Editor’s note: DUN is the Malay abbreviation for Dewan Undangan Negeri, or State Legislative Assembly.