Sarawak police have asked Bukit Aman for 889 additional officers and personnel for the coming state election, while keeping a separate contingent on regular policing duties. Acting Sarawak Police Commissioner DCP Saifullizan Ishak said at an Oct 28 press conference in Kuching that the request had already been submitted. Reinforcements could come from Sabah, but he described that as a possibility rather than a confirmed deployment. The request concerns the staffing needed to run election security alongside everyday public-safety work. Saifullizan said regular policing would continue; assigning personnel to the election does not mean all officers will leave their normal duties. Police are also preparing logistics around the Northeast Monsoon. That places transport and deployment readiness alongside headcount in their election preparations, particularly for a state with widely dispersed communities. The immediate next step is Bukit Aman’s arrangement of additional personnel. The request itself does not establish that Sabah reinforcements have been approved or have arrived.

Batu Lintang incumbent See Chee How has submitted an application to join SUPP, moving beyond the speculation that followed his years as an independent representative. SUPP said the form was handed over at its headquarters in Kuching on Oct 27, in the presence of party leaders. The confirmed development is the submission of a membership application; it is not an announcement that See has been selected to contest Batu Lintang at the coming state election. See first won the constituency in 2011 under PKR and retained it in 2016. He secured a third term on a PSB ticket in 2021, then left PSB in August 2022 and served as an independent before the Assembly was dissolved. That history gives the application particular significance for Batu Lintang voters: a representative who last won under one party and later sat independently is now seeking to enter SUPP, a component of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition. It does not, on its own, settle the constituency’s candidate lineup. DayakDaily reported the party’s account of the handover, while Sin Chew Daily also reported the submission and noted the question of whether See would be fielded to defend the seat. Party membership and an election nomination remain separate matters; a formal candidate announcement is the next development for voters to follow.

Sarawak has asked airlines and express bus operators to prepare additional services around the coming state election, but travellers still need to check operators’ confirmed schedules before booking. The Ministry of Transport Sarawak said in an Oct 27 statement that it had written to operators to explore extra capacity for people returning to their registered constituencies. Bernama reported the statement on Wednesday morning. For flights, the requested increase covers the week before polling day and the week after it, allowing for both the journey home and the return trip. For express buses within Sarawak, the ministry encouraged more departures from three days before polling until three days afterwards. The two windows are different: the broader air-travel request is intended to help Sarawakians working in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sabah, while the bus request concerns onward and inter-town travel within Sarawak. These are requests to operators, not an announced package of guaranteed extra seats or fixed fares. The ministry urged travellers to plan early and use operators’ official channels for schedules, prices and reservations. Anyone arranging a journey involving both a flight and a bus should check each leg against the services actually offered, rather than treating the proposed increase as a confirmed timetable.

Sarawak’s Legislative Assembly will be dissolved on Monday, Oct 26, starting the constitutional timetable for a state election—not voting itself. Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced the decision at a press conference in Kuching on Oct 23 after obtaining the Governor’s consent, DayakDaily and The Star reported. The Election Commission will set and announce nomination and polling dates. The distinction matters for voters making travel or leave arrangements: Oct 26 is the dissolution date, not an announced polling day. Under the constitutional timetable described by the Premier, the election must be held within 60 days of dissolution. The new Assembly must be summoned to meet within 120 days. The state government will serve in a caretaker capacity during the election period. Abang Johari said public administration and essential services would continue, so the dissolution does not mean a shutdown of government services. The current Assembly first met on Feb 14, 2022. The announcement brings its term to an early end; the next practical milestone for voters is the Election Commission’s election timetable.

Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) says it is open to a one-to-one electoral arrangement among Sarawak opposition parties, but its president has not announced a concluded pact. Voon Lee Shan said in a Sept 24 statement that PBK would discuss cooperation for the 13th Sarawak election where parties can agree on a single opposition candidate. He said any arrangement should protect party identities and honour constituency agreements, with no poaching of members or leaders. Voon also said earlier discussions among opposition parties had not produced a comprehensive agreement. His latest statement sets out PBK’s conditions; it does not confirm that an alliance or seat-sharing deal is in place. Any one-to-one contests would still depend on negotiations.

The 17 additional seats approved for Sarawak’s state assembly are unlikely to be ready for the next state election, the Election Commission says. The distinction matters: the July 2025 vote expanded the assembly from 82 to 99 seats on paper, but electoral boundaries still have to be reviewed before the new constituencies can be used. The Commission expects that review to continue beyond February 2027, when the current assembly term expires. Its chairman made the assessment during a visit to the proposed-boundary-review exhibition at Kuching North City Hall on Thursday. The Commission has received 18 objections so far. They include proposed changes to polling-district centres and constituency names in Sarikei, Bintulu and Sibu. Those matters are still under examination, so the new boundaries are not yet settled. For Sarawak voters, the immediate takeaway is that a passed seat-expansion bill does not by itself determine the map used at the next poll.

New Sarawak party Wawasan says it will contest the coming state election. Parti Wawasan Rakyat (Wawasan) president Affendi Jeman confirmed that the party plans to field candidates in the next Sarawak state election. Affendi also said he intends to contest the Pantai Damai constituency under the Wawasan banner. The party, formerly known as Parti Sedar Rakyat (Sedar), was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies on Aug 11, 2026. It says candidates will be assessed based on integrity, capability, grassroots support and commitment to their communities. Wawasan is also studying the wider electoral picture, including the proposed 17 additional state seats. No final commitment has been made because the boundaries and implementation are not settled yet. This is a politician's or party's position, not an election result or an official finding. The useful follow-up is the relevant assembly record, election notice, project document or published spending information. [image: 1787101532947-wawasan-affendi.jpg] Source: The Borneo Post

Abang Johari: Sarawak election can proceed with 82 seats if new ones not ready [image: 1786356655867-abang-johari-election-compressed.jpg] Sarawak's state election can proceed with the existing 82 seats if the planned addition of 17 new seats isn't ready in time, says Premier Abang Johari. Speaking after the Regency Specialist Hospital groundbreaking in Kuching today (Aug 10), he said the state will follow whatever is in place when the DUN is dissolved. "If it is 82, then 82. If it is 99, then 99. There is no problem," he told reporters. The DUN approved adding 17 new seats last July, bringing the total to 99. But with the election expected by end of this year or early 2027, time for the approval process is tight. "The time is very limited, what can we do? We just follow what is existing. The important thing is that people can vote," he said. Location: Kuching Details: 82 existing seats vs 99 with new seats | election expected late 2026 / early 2027 Source: The Borneo Post What do you think?