Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah said it expects a record number of objections to have been filed against the Election Commission’s (EC) redelineation proposal as the deadline for submission ends.

“We are encouraged by initial indications that there is a greater awareness among members of the public, politicians and activists of the crucial importance of a re-delineation exercise in determining election results for the next eight years or two or three general elections to come.

“Judging by reports from the press and our own networks, Bersih’s special redelineation task force Delineation Action and Research Team (Dart) expects a record number of objections this time round, surpassing the 285 received for peninsula and 66 for Sabah at the last redelineation exercise in 2003,” she said in a statement today.

However, Maria said this is only the beginning.

“Dart wishes to remind everyone that the battle against unfair electoral boundaries is not over and that there are still several constitutionally required stages that must be completed before it reaches Parliament for approval.

“After receiving all these objections, the EC will go through them to determine which ones merit an invitation to an inquiry to hear objections from the spokespersons of the objectors.

“This could take place anytime between early till mid-November, 2016,” she said.

As such, Maria said Dart will be conducting training for those who have volunteered to represent the 100 affected voters in each objection submission.

“Dart would also like to help those who submitted objections to improve their arguments with more detailed research and also to coordinate legal actions where necessary or when no inquiry is called for their objections even though they are based on valid grounds.

“To be able to do this, we would need all those who submitted objection letters during this 30-days period, to e-mail us a copy of their submission. The e-mail address is [email protected]," she said.

Earlier today, DAP submitted an additional 50 objections in Selangor.

Today was the second day that Selangor DAP has come to the Selangor division of the EC to submit the objections, which were received by Selangor EC deputy director Kamarul Azman Ahmad Sabri at the Selangor EC headquarters in Shah Alam.

“These objections show how there are many voters who are unhappy with the redelineation exercise,” Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming was quoted as saying in an audio recording by KiniTV.

Petaling Jaya Utara lawmaker Tony Pua, whose constituency will be renamed ‘Damansara’, claimed that the redelineation exercise had gone against the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

“The number of voters for each area in a particular state must be approximately the same with the exception of several factors,” he stressed.

'Approximately similar' principle must be prioritised

This "approximately similar" principle must be prioritised by the EC as failure to do so would lead to malapportionment, he added.

Citing his constituency, Pua said the seat would see 150,000 voters while the newly named seat of Sungai Buloh, which is also an urban seat, would only consist of 78,000 voters.

He added that should the exercise is conducted, he would be dealing with three different local authorities.

“Previously I only had to deal with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) but now I have to be in contact with the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA).

“This doesn’t make sense at all. This shows how the area is too big,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Subang Jaya state assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh said the state seat would be the biggest in Selangor with 66,059 voters while the smallest seat, in comparison, would be four times smaller.

“The Sungai Air Tawar state seat would only have 15,000 voters. With the redelineation exercise, the Subang state seat will be twice bigger than the Sabak Bernam parliamentary seat,’ she pointed out.

Meanwhile, Selangor PAS had also submitted objections against the redelineation exercise.

Selangor PAS secretary Mohd Khairuddin Othman said the objections were for 10 parliamentary seats and 14 state seats affected by the exercise and to be contested by PAS.

Selangor PAS, he said, did not agree with the exercise due to several reasons.

“Apart from us stating our reasons to oppose the exercise, the EC must also state the reasons behind why such a redelineation exercise is conducted,” he said in a statement today.

Both BN and opposition parties have hit out at the proposed redelineation, claiming that it could create racial imbalance in some electoral constituencies.

Opposition parties have alleged that the redelineation was lopsided and in favour of Umno.

Yesterday, Pakatan Harapan submitted at least 85 objections in Selangor, Malacca and Johor.