SARAWAK today passed a bill to amend the state constitution to lower the age for persons eligible for election to assemblyman and to define the term “resident in the state” to remove ambiguity that could allow foreigners from taking part in  state elections.

The minimum age for election is now 18 from 21 previously.

DAP, which was opposed to the latter amendment, tried but failed to prevent the bill from passage in the 82-seat assembly.

When speaker Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar asked to see at least 10 representatives opposed to the bill before he decided on the voting system to employ, only nine assemblymen – five from DAP and four from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) – stood up to be counted.

PSB assemblyman Ranum Mina (Opar) remained seated and was to later claim that he had lost track of proceedings as he had just returned to chambers after leaving to use the phone.

DAP and PSB combined have 11 representatives in the assembly.

The revised bill was tabled by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah, was voted on and passed.

The first bill tabled on Tuesday had to be deferred to “fix an anomaly in the drafting of the bill”.

Opposition leader Wong Soon Koh (Bawang Assan-Parti Bersatu Sarawak) and Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen (Kota Sentosa), had strongly objected to the proposal in the first bill to tie the definition of “resident in the state” with Section 71 of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Wong and Chong argued that Section 71’s definition of the state resident would allow permanent residents of two years to stand for election, which would be an “outright betrayal of the rights of the people of Sarawak”.

Chong implied the government was trying to enable non-Sarawakians to get elected after Petronas agreed to pay the state tax on petroleum.

In the revised bill, the definition of “resident in the state” was tightened to mean “citizen born in the state of Sarawak, whose parents, or either of them, was also born in the state and he is normally resident in the state; or a citizen, though not born in the state, whose parents or either of them was born in the State and he is normally resident in the state”.

Karim said this would ensure only those born in Sarawak or born outside the state to a parent born in the state, and who lived in the state were qualified for election to the assembly.

“People with no Sarawak connection, either by birth or the birth of their parents and who are not normally resident in Sarawak will be disqualified.”

He said the state government had been concerned that the judicial interpretation of “resident” would let people from other states in the federation, who are residing in Sarawak by reason of having a work permit or serving in the federal public service or  the police and armed forces, stand in the state.

“It would enable politicians from other states staying temporarily in the state to claim they are ‘resident in the state’.

“The state government does not want people from outside Sarawak to meddle in our affairs and play any role in determining the destiny of our state.”

He said the state government’s “Sarawak First” policy was to encourage the people of the state to safeguard the state’s interests.  

“Outsiders should not come with their brand of politics that would de-stablise our state and affect the harmony and unity of our people”.

Karim said the first bill was drafted with the same intent of preventing political infiltration by non-Sarawakians.

That intention, he added, was distorted by the opposition who alleged the state government was opening a way avenue for non-Sarawakians to seek election.

Karim said DAP stood to benefit the most should the door to Sarawak remain open for their politicians on the peninsula.

Karim said in the history of Malaysian politics, DAP was the only party with state-hopping candidates.

He gave DAP elder Lim Kit Siang and his son, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng as examples.

Karim said the Lims were from Malacca but Kit Siang had stood for election in Selangor, Perak and Johor, and Guan Eng in Penang.

“This is why DAP is so against this bill,” Karim told the assembly.– November 12, 2020.