The NGO Tindak Malaysia will be releasing maps of Malaysia’s electoral boundaries to the public in digital format for the first time, in an effort to urge the Election Commission (EC) to be more transparent.

The idea is to show the public that if self-funded volunteers can create maps that minimise malapportionment and make it publicly accessible, they should expect the EC to do so too with the millions of ringgit at its disposal, said Tindak Malaysia founder PY Wong ( below ).

"These are reasonable expectations as citizens. You should expect the EC to put these maps online so that everybody can have access.

"After all. You (the EC) talk about transparency and competency. That is the tagline on EC’s website.

"What can be more transparent and competent than to have these digital maps online?" he told Malaysiakini on Friday.

Launched at 12am today, visitors to Tindak Malaysia’s website are now able to see the present electoral boundaries, and the group’s proposal that it purports to be more equal.

Its proposal is such that there would be a minimal difference in the number of voters in every constituency within the same state, so that each vote is of equal value in putting a representative in office.

'Maps should be free'

The new maps also colour-code constituencies to show who would win the seats based on the results of the 13th general election.

Tindak Malaysia, along with other electoral reform groups like Bersih, had previously raised the issue of malapportionment and gerrymandering of electoral boundaries in Malaysia, arguing among others, that it gives rural constituencies disproportionate power in electing lawmakers.

As a glaring vindication of the claim, BN managing to win the 2013 general election with less than 50 percent of the popular vote count is a damning testimony to unfair electoral boundaries.

The exercise has also been a costly one for Tindak, who according to a source familiar with the mapping project, had spent some RM20,000 to purchase maps from the state EC offices at RM20 each, and nine months to scan it, prepare it in a format suited for professional mapping software, and redraw the electoral boundaries.

However, EC has since increased the price to RM40 per map and now includes a booking process before the purchase can be made.

Wong said the EC should follow the example of developed nations like New Zealand and Australia , where the relevant authorities make its maps available online for free, and in formats that are suitable for the general public as well as those with professional mapping software.

He said it is important to make the maps readily available in one place, especially during a redelineation exercises where members of the public have only 30 days to study the map and file objections if necessary.

'One delimitation from developed status'

"These are reasonable expectations. After all we are only one delimitation away from developed nation status.

"If you look at developed nations like Australia and New Zealand, every one of them publishes their maps online so that every citizen can access the maps.

"When you talk about delimitation, you are talking about engaging 30 million citizens. Everyone has a stake in it," he said.

Redelineation exercises, also known as delimitation exercises, are carried out in Malaysia every 10 years, and the current round is already overdue.

The Malaysian government claims to aspire to make the country a developed nation by the year 2020.