Caretaker mode: What Sarawak’s government can and can’t do

KUCHING, Oct 27 — With the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) officially dissolved on Monday (Oct 26), the state government remains in office in a caretaker capacity. Three legal experts explain the caretaker government’s role, powers and limitations.

Does Sarawak still have a state government after the DUN is dissolved?

The dissolution ends the legislature’s term, but does not automatically remove the state executive.

According to Lawyer Kamek director Simon Siah, Article 6(3) of the Sarawak Constitution provides for executive members to continue holding office, subject to the relevant constitutional requirements.

Ralph Advocates principal Ralph Lee said the Premier and Cabinet would continue to administer the state in a caretaker capacity.

“Under Article 21(4) of the Sarawak Constitution, an election must be held within 60 days of dissolution, while the new DUN must meet within 120 days,” he said.

What is the role of a caretaker government?

Its primary responsibility is to ensure continuity in state administration while avoiding major decisions that could bind the incoming government.

Advocates Association of Sarawak president Gurvir Singh Sandhu said public services, salaries, existing contracts and approved projects would continue.

He added that spending should remain within allocations approved by the DUN, including those under the 2027 Sarawak Budget.

Lee said routine administration and urgent action to protect public safety could proceed, distinguishing these from new initiatives or substantial expansions of existing programmes.

What are the limitations of a caretaker government?

Although its executive powers remain in place, constitutional convention calls for restraint over decisions with significant or long-term consequences.

Siah said the caretaker government should generally avoid major policy changes, defer important appointments and refrain from awarding major contracts or making substantial new financial commitments unless necessary.

Lee said the significance, urgency, reversibility and impact of a decision should be considered to ensure it does not materially bind the next state government.

Is there a specific law governing caretaker governments in Sarawak?

According to the experts, there is no express, comprehensive caretaker-government framework in Sarawak’s Constitution, or a specific written law setting out its powers and limitations.

“Instead, the conduct of a caretaker government is guided by constitutional convention inherited from the Westminster tradition,” said Sandhu.

Adding on, Siah said that conventions were established practices governing how a government should operate, rather than rules directly enforceable by courts.

He said the Premier and Cabinet retained the same executive powers under the Constitution, although convention would call for them to exercise those powers responsibly during the caretaking period.

What happens if a caretaker government breaches these conventions?

A breach of convention alone does not automatically make a government decision unlawful or invalidate it.

“Decisions could still be challenged through judicial review if there were separate legal grounds, such as acting beyond legal powers or for an improper purpose,” said Sandhu.

Lee said the caretaker government must also comply with applicable laws governing public expenditure, procurement and elections.

The experts stressed that restraint was important in protecting public confidence in the electoral process. — The Borneo Post

* Editor’s note: DUN stands for Dewan Undangan Negeri, which is Malay for State Legislative Assembly.

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古晋，10月27日讯——随着砂拉越州立法议会于周一（10月26日）正式解散，州政府仍以看守政府的身份继续执政。三位法律专家将解读看守政府的角色、权力和限制。

砂拉越州议会解散后，砂拉越是否还有州政府？

解散议会结束了立法机构的任期，但不会自动罢免州行政长官。

根据律师事务所 Kamek 主任 Simon Siah 的说法，砂拉越宪法第 6(3) 条规定，行政成员可以继续担任职务，但须遵守相关的宪法要求。

Ralph Advocates 的负责人 Ralph Lee 表示，州长和内阁将继续以看守政府的身份管理该州。

他说：“根据砂拉越宪法第 21(4) 条，必须在解散后 60 天内举行选举，而新的州议会必须在 120 天内召开会议。”

看守政府的作用是什么？

其主要职责是确保国家行政的连续性，同时避免做出可能对即将上任的政府造成约束的重大决定。

砂拉越律师协会主席古尔维尔·辛格·桑杜表示，公共服务、薪金、现有合同和已批准的项目将继续进行。

他还补充说，支出应保持在州议会批准的拨款范围内，包括 2027 年砂拉越预算中的拨款。

李表示，日常行政管理和保护公共安全的紧急行动可以继续进行，这与新举措或现有计划的大幅扩展有所区别。

看守政府有哪些局限性？

尽管其行政权力依然存在，但宪法惯例要求对具有重大或长期影响的决定保持克制。

西亚表示，看守政府一般应避免重大政策变革，推迟重要人事任命，除非必要，否则不应授予重大合同或做出实质性的新财政承诺。

李表示，应考虑决策的重要性、紧迫性、可逆性和影响，以确保该决策不会对下一届州政府产生实质性约束。

砂拉越是否有专门针对看守政府的法律？

专家表示，砂拉越宪法中没有明确、全面的看守政府框架，也没有具体的成文法规定其权力和限制。

桑杜说：“相反，看守政府的行为受到从威斯敏斯特传统继承而来的宪法惯例的指导。”

Siah补充道，惯例是规范政府运作方式的既定做法，而不是法院可以直接强制执行的规则。

他表示，根据宪法，总理和内阁仍然拥有相同的行政权力，尽管按照惯例，他们在看守期间应该负责任地行使这些权力。

如果看守政府违反这些惯例会发生什么？

仅凭违反公约本身并不必然导致政府决定违法或无效。

桑杜表示：“如果存在其他法律依据，例如超越法定权限或出于不正当目的，则仍可通过司法审查对决定提出质疑。”

李表示，看守政府也必须遵守有关公共支出、采购和选举的适用法律。

专家强调，保持克制对于维护公众对选举进程的信心至关重要。——《婆罗洲邮报》

* 编辑注：DUN 是 Dewan Undangan Negeri 的缩写，在马来语中意为州立法议会。

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