KUCHING: The proposal to increase the number of seats in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) to 99 has been described as a timely and strategic move towards more effective and inclusive governance, particularly for the vast and ethnically diverse rural areas of the state.

Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Petra Jaya, Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof, expressed his full support for the move, which has already been debated and approved at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly level.

“Personally, I fully support this because Sarawak is geographically vast—almost the size of Peninsular Malaysia.

“Some argue that the criteria for adding seats should be based solely on population size, but in Sarawak’s case, we must also consider the sheer size of the constituencies, the need for proper representation of specific ethnic groups, and the needs of remote areas.

“When we open up new constituencies, it means there will be a dedicated representative to voice out local concerns and issues,” he said.

He was speaking to the media after visiting participants of the AI for MY Future programme at the Sarawak Technical Excellence Centre (CENTEXS) on Saturday.

Dato Sri Fadillah added that the addition of new DUN seats would not only strengthen the administrative framework but also help the state government to plan and implement more targeted development initiatives—particularly in interior regions that still require basic infrastructure and services.

He also stressed that the move aligns with Sarawak’s broader aspiration to become a developed and prosperous state by 2030. -UKASnews