YOURSAY 'Malaysia's electoral system is like a soccer match that is played on a steep hill in which one side runs downhill while the other is up against the slope.'

A retiree exposes gerrymandering in Sabah

Manjit Bhatia: Retiree Ng Chak Ngoon did very well indeed in presenting his findings of gerrymandering by the EC (Election Commission) on behalf of Umno and BN.

This kind of disproportionality is not new in Malaysian politics. In fact, it also happens in places like Australia.

But unlike in the West, the EC in Malaysia works hand-in-glove with Umno, its political master. Gerrymandering worsened in the early 1960s and worsened still more after the 1969 elections.

In the last decade, especially since 2008, as Umno-BN have become more and more desperate to hang on to power, the gerrymandering and other forms of cheating have equally stiffened.

You can change election laws and rules, but only at the behest of Umno-BN. If change isn't forthcoming, then launch Bersih 3.0, and let a thousand flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.

It's time to bring down Umno-BN by cutting it off at its knees through mass dissent.

Anonymous_4031: Ng Chak Ngoon, thanks for giving facts and figures on the sizes of 222 Malaysian constituencies. They are most revealing and shocking.

According to Ng, it was not just gerrymandering but cheating. Added to this is the Project IC in Sabah, which made instant IC holders from foreign lands legitimate voters, and we have double jeopardy.

What has the EC chief been doing in the past 12 general elections? Will Maximus Ongkili, the PSC (parliamentary select committee) chairperson, be bold enough to change the system so that elections are fair and square?

Will PBS, Upko, PBRS and LDP quit BN and do Sabah and Sarawak proud that at long last, the leaders will walk the talk.

It is past time talking about Project IC whenever the general election looms. Show your sincerity by putting a stop to this ‘cheating'. Put the interest of the nation first.

If change cannot be done within, then do it from without. Think outside the box. Bury this Project IC once and for all.

Milosevic: The logic of Malaysia's electoral system is like a soccer match that is played on a steep hill in which one side runs downhill while the other has to kick the ball up the slope, and with no half-time changes.

Not too different was the recent soccer match between Japan and North Korea in Pyongyang, where the Japanese were not given any pre-match practice time and were only allowed about 200 supporters, who were cautioned by the police whenever they cheered too enthusiastically.

The fanatical North Koreans did not see anything wrong with this setup and were ecstatic when their team won 1-0. The rest of the world (surprise!) thought it was a joke.

Malaysian politics has reached a state where BN wants to win at all cost, and takes no pride in winning a fair and hard-fought game. The rules are their tools to ensure victory.

This mentality permeates all institutions, and eventually all players end up second rate. Hey Umno, what is that sound of one hand clapping?

Magic Mountain: How has BN stayed in power for so long? Here are 12 reasons:

1. Gerrymandering
2. Give foreigners ICs to vote
3. Unfair control of the media
4. Use of government machinery in election campaigns
5. Slush funds and money politics
6. Use of laws against the opposition
7. Use of strong-arm tactics, such as the police to intimidate
8. Use of postal votes, many army personnel are non-existent
9. Short and controlled campaigning time
10. Use issues of religion and race to the hilt and create uneasiness
11. Overseas citizens are not given opportunity to vote
12. Electoral rolls are faulty and out of date

Tel: To me, it does not matter who sits in Putrajaya so long as they do a good job. The question is: Is the current administration doing a good job? To me they are good politicians, but at the same time they are lousy policymakers (look at all the mess).

I am not pro-Anwar Ibrahim or his team (PKR) and I am also not pro-Najib Razak (BN) either. I am pro-good government.

We must ask ourselves: Is there a third option beside PKR? The answer is ‘no'. We should give PKR a chance - and if they are not good, we can kick them out in the next election.

A government too long in power will only be self-serving as they think no one can touch them, and that is the case with the current government.

KSN: This piece of news, welcome as it appears to be the truth, is disturbing to the country. It shows how subservient the EC, which is supposed to be independent, has been to Umno. No wonder Umno behaves with such arrogance.

Now what is Pakatan Rakyat going to do about these revelations? Is there a legal remedy? Can we hope that Pakatan carries this message to all Malaysians even in the Umno strongholds?

Among the voters there, there must be a good number who believes in fair competition and against such cheating.

This practice defeats the very purpose of elections. What has the EC to say about it? The Public Services Commission should summon the EC chief and ask him to explain and hold the entire EC accountable and answerable.

Alan Goh: The facts and figures are all there - Putrajaya with a small voter base of less than 7,000 voters has one MP, while Kapar with over 112,000 voters has also one MP.

What logic is this, EC? If this what you call a level-playing field, with phantom voters and postal voters, it is better not to have any general election.

Just look at Bukit Bintang, Cheras, Ampang, etc, - each easily has over 50,000 voters yet with only one MP.

Hwa Shi-Hsia: I think these graphs prepared by Ng Chak Ngoon are a great tool to illustrate the problem for those who are not inclined to pour over tables of numbers.

Do share them with your friends and relatives who remain unconvinced that our electoral system needs to be fixed.

AB Sulaiman: Gerrymandering is not exactly a new thing, and has been mentioned and exposed by many people throughout the years.

The difference here is that the authorities are given a full account of it, and that the people are telling their leaders 'officially' that they have been cheating on the people at almost every election. So what is going to happen next?

I say clean the electoral roll before any future general election is to take place, and this includes 'un-gerrymandering' all election districts. Failing which, it's going to be business as usual and all of us should brace ourselves for the long hard and dark years ahead.

In the event, forget about 'Vision 2020', 'the best democracy in the world', 'highly moral and moderate Islamic state,' for these are just wools over our eyes.

Anonymous: It is too late now to change anything. No point blowing hot air. It is imperative for all right-thinking and just Malaysians of whatever race to do our utmost to register our utter disgust at the present state of the constituencies.

Two practical steps can be taken.

1) Work harder in the marginal constituencies and tilt them away from BN.

2) Focus on Sabah and Sarawak, especially in the interior. We may stand a chance there.

I call upon all righteous Malaysians to rise up to the challenge.

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