KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Kapit MP Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi has confirmed that he will continue serving at the Parliamentary level and will not contest a State Legislative Assembly seat in next month’s Sarawak election.
The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secretary-general said speculation about him contesting arose after a proposal to create a new state constituency, Melekun, under the Kapit Parliamentary constituency.
However, the Works Minister said the new constituency cannot be used in this election as the boundary changes have not been gazetted.
“Although the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly has approved the addition of seats, the matter has yet to be brought to the Dewan Rakyat for approval.
“So it will not be used in this election, which means I have no state seat to contest,” he told the media after attending a recording of a Bernama TV programme at Wisma Bernama today.
On July 7 last year, the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly passed the State Legislative Assembly (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025, approving 17 additional seats and bringing the total to 99.
The number of seats has increased over the years, from 48 in 1969, to 56 in 1985, 62 in 1995, 71 in 2005, and 82 in 2014.
Nanta, who has served six terms as Kapit MP, said not having the opportunity to contest at state level is not an issue, as his priority is to continue serving the people through his existing Parliamentary mandate.
Previously, he said that he did not intend to defend the Kapit Parliamentary seat in the 16th general election to make way for a leadership transition, while also leaving open the possibility of serving locally if the Melekun state seat was created.
When asked about reports that GPS would field 10 per cent new faces in the election, Nanta declined to comment further, saying the decision rested with the party’s top leadership.
The Election Commission has set December 12 as polling day for the Sarawak state election, with nominations on November 28 and early voting on December 8.
