PETALING JAYA: The Sarawak government has no authority over how new state seats are delineated or where they are located, a state minister said today, in dismissing opposition claims of gerrymandering in the motion to increase the number of seats from 82 to 99.
State tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the Election Commission, and not the Gabungan Parti Sarawak-led state government, is solely responsible for determining how seats are mapped and adjusted.
“GPS or this House (state assembly) or the government of the day has no say whatsoever on where the delineation of the new 17 seats is, as it is entirely the prerogative of the EC,” he told the state assembly.