The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly () is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak; the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak forms the other part of the legislature. The Assembly is modelled after the traditions of the Westminster parliamentary system, which originates from the practices of the British Parliament. The executive branch of government is drawn from the elected members of the Assembly. The State Legislative Assembly sits at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building located in Petra Jaya in Kuching, the state capital.
The Legislative Assembly, as of 2019, consists of 82 members, making it the largest state legislature in Malaysia. Members are elected from single-member constituencies throughout the state under the first-past-the-post voting system, with elections held no more than five years apart. Sarawak does not practice compulsory voting, and eligible citizens are not automatically registered to vote in elections. Elections for the Assembly have been out of sync with the rest of Malaysia since 1978.
The Assembly is also the oldest legislature in Malaysia and one of the oldest continuously functioning legislatures in the world, being established on 8 September 1867 as the General Council under the Raj of Sarawak. In 1903, the General Council became the Council Negri (),Sejarah Dewan Undangan Negeri 1 (in Malay). Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Retrieved 14 June 2010 which lasted through the remainder of the Raj and continued throughout the colonial period and into the early years of the federation. However, the legislature was not directly elected until 1969.Sejarah Dewan Undangan Negeri 2 (in Malay). Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Retrieved 14 June 2010
The executive is formed by the party or parties who commands the confidence and supply of the Assembly, with the leader of said party or parties becoming the Premier, the head of government of the state. The formal appointment of the chief minister is performed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri. Since 2018, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition holds a majority in the Assembly, after the component parties split from the Barisan Nasional coalition in the aftermath of the general election. Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg has been the chief minister since 2017.
History The first legislative assembly in Sarawak was formed during the rule of the White Rajahs. The General Council (Majlis Umum) of the Kingdom of Sarawak was convened on 8 September 1867 by Charles Brooke, the Rajah Muda under the orders of James Brooke, then the Rajah of Sarawak. Its members were chosen from local tribe leaders who were thought to be capable of assisting Brooke in administering the kingdom. The General Council later evolved into the Council Negri in 1903. The Council Negri first met in Bintulu.
It continued to function even after Sarawak was ceded to the British Empire in 1946. Since 1963, when Sarawak joined with Malaya, Singapore and North Borneo (now known as Sabah) to form Malaysia, in line with the federal and state constitutions, members of the Assembly have been elected representatives.
The General Council members in 1867 were restricted to five British officers and 16 Malay and Melanau members with Rajah as the president. As the population of the state grew, so do the members of the General Council. In 1937, Chinese and Ibans were included in the membership. The 1941 constitution of Sarawak supposedly ended the Rajah's absolute rule over the council, but it did not materialise due to the Japanese occupation. In 1956, another constitution was drawn to expand the composition to 24 elected unofficial members, including 14 ex-officio, four nominated members, and three standing members. The unofficial members were elected through indirect three-tier system. In 1963, the membership was increased from 24 to 36 members.
In 1976, Council Negri formally changed its name to Dewan Undangan Negeri (state legislative assembly) through amendment of Sarawak constitution. Since 2024 until now, the current name of Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak finally renamed as Dewan Undangan Sarawak (Sarawak Legislative Assembly) in accordance with the Sarawak autonomy rights as enshrined in Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
In 1969, the Assembly had 48 seats elected from single-member constituencies. This increased to 56 in 1985, to 62 in 1995 and to 71 in 2005. In 2014, the Assembly passed an Ordinance to take the number of constituencies to 82. It has the largest number of seats among the state legislatures in Malaysia.
Role The Legislative Assembly is constituted under article 13 of the state constitution.Constitution of the State of Sarawak. Available online at: https://psc.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/pages.php?mod=download&sub=download_show&id=87. Retrieved 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. The Assembly has the power to legislate on any matter for the state, except those that are within the exclusive domain of the federal Parliament as set out in the Federal List of the ninth schedule of the federal constitution.Federal Constitution. Available online at: http://www.agc.gov.my/agcportal/uploads/files/Publications/FC/Federal%20Consti%20(BI%20text).pdf. Retrieved 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. The Concurrent List (including the supplement) in the same schedule specifies the subjects that both the Assembly and Parliament may legislate for; however, the federal law prevails where they conflict. The State List (including the supplement) are matters that are exclusively under the jurisdiction of the state. However, the Assembly also has residual powers over any matters that are not specified in the schedule.
Primary legislation successfully passed in the Assembly are styled Ordinances.Kuasa Perundangan (in Malay). Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Retrieved 14 June 2010 The Assembly must sit at least once every six months (and often only does so at that frequency) to approve taxation to and supply from the state's consolidated fund. This is done during the tabling of the budget by the executive Cabinet.Pengenalan (in Malay). Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Retrieved 14 June 2010 Aside from administrative matters, members of the Assembly are free to speak on any issues, as stipulated in the Privileges, Immunities and Powers Ordinance 1963. Members of the Assembly are responsible for scrutinising the executive government's actions.Fungsi (in Malay). Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Retrieved 14 June 2010
The speaker presides over proceedings in the Assembly. They are appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) on the advice of the premier. The speaker does not vote in any proceeding except to break a tie, and even then would only vote according to Speaker Denison's rule by convention.Speaker (in Malay). Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Retrieved 14 June 2010
Procedures The Legislative Assembly meets at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building in Petra Jaya, Kuching. The chamber is furnished in red, similar to upper houses of Westminster system parliaments. Four rows of desks (benches) are located on opposite sides of the chamber, furnished with leather office chairs, individual microphones and electronic voting equipment. The speaker's desk is at the end of the chamber furthest from the entrance; the secretaries' desk is located directly in front of the speaker to allow them to advise the speaker on procedural matters when necessary. In front of the secretaries' desk is the Table of the Assembly, on which the Mace rests. During the opening of the Assembly, the governor addresses the Assembly from a throne behind the speaker's chair. The sergeant-at-arms sit at the entrance of the chamber, opposite the speaker.
Government members sit on the benches on the speaker's right, while Opposition members take their seats on the speaker's left. However, government MLAs may overflow onto the opposition's side of the chamber, in which case they occupy the seats furthest from the speaker first. Government ministers and the shadow cabinet occupy the front rows and are thus known as frontbenchers, with the premier and leader of the opposition sitting closest to the speaker. All other members are known as backbenchers (regardless of whether they are sitting on the front row or back). The chamber has enough seats for 112 members, 30 more than the current number of members.
The Assembly is constitutionally required to sit at least once every six months, and often only does as such. Sittings are held on Mondays to Fridays until all business for the session is concluded (usually about two weeks). In exceptional circumstances, a sitting may also be held on a weekend.
Proceedings in the Assembly are governed by standing orders. Standing orders are adopted at the start of each term of the Assembly. Public debates are recorded and archived in the Official Reports, also commonly known as the Hansard.
Each year, a new session of the Assembly begins with a ceremonial opening of the Assembly, in which the governor, in the presence of all members, delivers an address outlining the government's legislative agenda.
During debates, Members may speak only if called upon by the speaker (or a deputy speaker, if the speaker is not presiding). Traditionally, the presiding officer alternates between calling members from the government and opposition. The premier, the leader of the opposition, and other leaders from both sides are normally given priority.
Sarawak is unusual within Malaysia in that both Malay and English have equal standing in proceedings of the Legislative Assembly – debates frequently switch between both languages and members may choose to use either or both. Speeches are addressed to the presiding officer, using the words Tuan Speaker (), Puan Speaker (), Tuan Timbalan Speaker () or Puan Timbalan Speaker () as appropriate. Only the presiding officer may be directly addressed in debate; other members must be referred to in the third person. Traditionally, members do not refer to each other by name, but by constituency, using forms such as "the Honourable Member for [constituency]" in English or "Ahli Yang Berhormat untuk [constituency]" in Malay. Members of the same party (or allied parties or groups) may refer to each other as "my friend" or "kawan kita". This may not always be the case during the actual oral delivery, when it might be difficult for a member to remember another member's exact constituency, but it is invariably followed in the transcript entered in the Hansard. The speaker enforces the rules of the House and may warn and punish members who deviate from them. Disregarding the speaker's instructions is considered a breach of the rules of the House and may result in the suspension of the offender from the House. In the case of grave disorder, the speaker may adjourn the House without taking a vote.
At the start of every day of sitting, time is allotted for backbenchers to ask questions of government ministers (including the chief minister) that they must answer to scrutinise the government's activities. Questions are generally required to be placed on the notice paper prior to the sitting, but questions without notice may sometimes be permitted. In practice, non-constituency-related questions asked in question time are usually pre-arranged by each party.