BN unfair in redrawing constituency boundaries
…Nevertheless, talk of re-drawing election boundaries, flawed systems and even vote buying continues unabated.
Critics of the system point to the fact that the BN wins far more seats than its popular vote deserves.
For example, it won 63.8per cent of the vote in 2004, but snagged 91 per cent of the parliamentary seats available.
Though the ‘first past the post’ system is used in many other countries as well, it did not stop human rights groups like Bersih (Clean) to hold street protests recently, asking for a more representational system.
The opposition has also cried foul over the redrawing of electoral boundaries allegedly to favour the ruling party, a practice known as gerrymandering.
The opposition cites the Seputeh constituency - considered an opposition stronghold in Kuala Lumpur - as an example.
In 2004, this constituency was drawn to contain 46,500voters, almost 10times more than the
nearby BN stronghold constituency of Putrajaya, which contained 4,654 voters.
But despite its larger number of voters, Seputeh can only elect the same number into parliament as Putrajaya - one person.
The numbers for 2008 are even more stark, with Putrajaya accounting for 6,608 voters while Seputeh has ballooned to 76,891 voters.
‘LEGAL’
Political scientist Mr James Wong said that while gerrymandering was allowed under law, it was aimed at serving a different purpose.
‘Historically, it was aimed at shifting borders in rural areas, to give rural voters more power to have theirsay.
‘This is backed by the perception that rural voters may lack access to the resources compared with their urban counterparts, when wanting to raise issues,’ he said.
Mr Wong said this was a worldwide practice, for example in the US and France, aimed at giving a slight advantage to the rural poor.
But critics, especially those in the opposition, argue that the system has been abused.
Said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) member Nathaniel Tan: ‘Let’s say there are two constituencies or areas with strong opposition support.
‘Borders can be redrawn to ’shift’ all the (opposition) support into one area. So it reduces the chances of the opposition securing two seats.’
‘PHANTOM VOTERS’
There are also suggestions that the electoral rolls are laced with ‘phantom voters’ - comprising the dead, non-citizens and voters with multiple registrations, although the Malaysian Elections Commission strongly denies this.
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies fellow Dr Ooi Kee Beng said one way to counter such practices is to review the powers of the Election Commission, which is the sole authority in Malaysia to conduct polls.
The EC’s jurisdiction currently fall under the powers of the Prime Minister’s office.
Furthermore, a recent amendment in the Malaysian Constitution to give the current EC chairman a 11/2-year extension in his job raised doubts about the body’s objectivity.
Its chairman, Mr Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, would have retired last December if not for the amendment.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia political science head Dr Ahmad Nidzammudin Sulaiman argues that there are measures in place to deal with gerrymandering-related issues.
‘For example, after a delineation process, the areas are put up for public display and objections,’ he said.
But he admitted that the questions on its ‘effectiveness’ are not clear.
This year’s elections are also different in that, for the first time, the Elections Commission has endorsed an independent body’s role in monitoring the process.
Called Mafrel, or Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections, this body has already weighed in on several contentious issues, recently branding some BN election promises as unlawful pledges and also scrutinising candidate nomination forms to ensure that they are accurate.
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The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper News
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