Kuala Lumpur, 7 August 2026: The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) expresses serious concern over the growing use of appointed State Legislative Assemblypersons (ADUN) with voting rights.  While intended to improve diversity and legislative expertise, the practice risks undermining democratic legitimacy by allowing unelected individuals to exercise the same legislative powers as representatives chosen by the electorate.

IDEAS urges state governments to reconsider the continued expansion of appointed ADUNs and where appropriate, review the existing constitutional provisions that permit such appointments. If the objective is to improve representation or legislative quality, these goals should be achieved through electoral reforms rather than by creating unelected legislators.

Over several years, several states have amended their constitutions to provide for appointed members  of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) with voting rights. Sabah has maintained this practice since 1963 while Pahang introduced it in 2020, followed by Terengganu in 2023 and more recently Johor and Melaka in 2026. The increasing adoption of this model warrants careful consideration of its constitutional and democratic implications.

“Members of Parliament and elected ADUNs derive their democratic legitimacy directly from the electorate through free and fair elections. They are entrusted with the authority to debate, scrutinise and enact laws because they remain accountable to voters, who ultimately determine whether they continue to hold office,” said Aira Azhari, IDEAS CEO.

“Appointed ADUNs, however, exercise the same legislative powers without having received an electoral mandate. This creates a fundamental distinction in democratic legitimacy and raises important questions about accountability, representative government and public confidence in legislative institutions,” added Aira.

Although appointed ADUNs are often justified as a mechanism to improve representation or introduce specialised expertise into legislative assemblies, these objectives should not come at the expense of representative democracy.  Without appropriate constitutional safeguards, the appointments process may be used to strengthen the governing coalition through additional voting members rather than genuinely enhancing diversity or improving legislative deliberation.

IDEAS maintains that appointed ADUNs are unnecessary in a democratically elected legislature. However, where state governments insist on retaining this practice, the following safeguards should be established to minimise the risks to democratic representation and accountability:

1. Limit the role of appointed ADUNs to debating, scrutinising and contributing to legislative deliberations without voting rights on legislation;
2. Establish objective eligibility criteria that prioritise underrepresented communities, including women, persons with disabilities, Orang Asli, and other groups that are insufficiently represented in the DUN.
3. Allow for the appointment of individuals with recognised professional expertise where this enhances legislative scrutiny and policy development; and
4. Require a transparent, rules-based appointment process with publicly available written justifications for every appointment.

Ultimately,  appointed ADUNs should not become a substitute for genuine democratic reform. If state governments wish to improve diversity and quality of legislative debate, the more sustainable solution is to strengthen the electoral process itself. Political parties should improve their candidate selection processes and be incentivised to field more women, Orang Asli, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented communities as candidates rather than relying on appointments after elections. Inclusive representation should not be treated as an afterthought but embedded as a fundamental priority in the candidate selection strategies of all political parties.

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Download the Media Statement PDF File Here

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Ryan Panicker
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T: 03 – 2070 8881/8882 | E: ryannesh@ideas.org.my