DAP just putting up a show — Dr Annuar

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KUCHING: The DAP is only playing to the gallery when asking members of the august house to debate on which areas will be delimited before more state constituencies are created from the present 71, said Dr Annuar Rapa’ee (BN-Nangka).

He said it would be up to the Election Commission (EC) to decide on which areas are to be carved out in order to create the 11 new state seats.

On the need to increase the number of seats, he said they must only consider the size of the population (or demography) and geography.

On the need to increase the number of seats through the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2014, Dr Annuar said it was not Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem who had requested for it but the august house.

The State Legislative Assembly (DUN) requested for the increase but can only pass the increase in seats as law.

“The law will then be relayed to the EC to decide on where the seats will be created. It is the EC’s jurisdiction to identify where the seats will be created. It is very clear cut,” he told a press conference after the adjournment of the DUN sitting yesterday.

However, EC cannot simply decrease or increase the number of seats when the law only provides for 11, he elaborated.

But the people can agree or disagree with the EC when the 11 news seats created by the EC are displayed to the public for review, he argued.

He assured that the State Assembly would not intervene in EC’s work in delimiting areas to create the 11 state seats.

DAP has described the increase of state seats as “putting the cart before the horse”, reasoning that delimitation should be done before increasing seats.

On a related matter, Dennis Ngau (BN-Telang Usan) said it would be ideal for the 11 new seats to be in the rural areas considering the big size of rural state constituencies and to make their representatives more effective in serving the people.

“Covering a huge area like mine, you need to have a good mental strength to carry on,” he said.

He cited Baram as an example of an area that can have a new state constituency by carving it out from Marudi and Telang Usan state constituencies.

On the choice of another race other than Iban and Kenyah to represent Baram people in the assembly, Dennis said race was secondary to him as long as
the potential elected representative is capable of serving the people.