Kuala lumpur: The proposal to add 17 new seats to the Sarawak Legislative Assembly is unlikely to be presented in the Dewan Rakyat this year, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof announced.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fadillah explained that the proposal must undergo several processes and procedures under the Election Commission (EC), including public display exercises for public objections or feedback. He highlighted that based on information from the EC, the proposal is not expected to be tabled this year due to these required processes.

Fadillah elaborated that the earliest step involves the EC displaying the proposal to the public. Following this, there will be a period allocated for objections and other necessary procedures. Consequently, the proposal is most likely to be tabled next year. He made these remarks after an event at Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching Utara where he handed out incentives to students who achieved excellent results in their SPM examinations.

Fadillah, who serves as the senior vice-president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), emphasized that the EC operates with its own procedures, including studies and population census data. He noted that the timing for the proposal's tabling lies solely within the EC's jurisdiction, without any government interference.

In July of the previous year, the State Legislative Assembly passed a Bill to add 17 new state seats, which would increase the total from 82 to 99, contingent upon the redelineation process by the EC.