COMMENT Welcome to Part 2 of the cheating manual! If you haven't checked out Part 1, please do so as it'll improve your understanding on how to cheat... sorry, I mean... what delineation is all about in our beloved Bolehland.

Today, we'll be talking about something called 'gerrymandering'. Don't worry, it's nothing sophisticated or bourgeois-ish, though it kinda sounds like it. And no, it also has got nothing to do with Tom-and-Jerry or a guy by the name of Gerry.

Gerrymandering, in simple terms, refers to how the electoral boundaries are drawn, or manipulated, to benefit or increase the winning chances of certain parties.

Now, imagine an A4 paper divided into 4 equal boxes. The paper represents our Dewan Rakyat, so each box is a ‘kerusi parlimen’ (parliamentary seat). So, in order to take over Putrajaya, you'll need to win at least three ‘kerusi’.

Now, there's party A and B. Since the Election Commission or EC, which we all know to be the most independent of all) knows the box at the top left is party A's stronghold while the rest are not, to improve the chances of party A winning will not be an easy task for it.

This is where gerrymandering comes in. This is where the EC will unleash its utmost creativity by drawing some extra lines within the box at the top left.

Now, imagine there are now four vertical lines drawn inside the top left box, dividing it into 5 more columns. Now we have a total of eight kerusi, including the other three untouched boxes.

And well, since size does not matter (as in surface area, but as for the number of voters in each constituency, it matters as per the principle of one person, one vote, one value) when it is the number of kerusi that'll decide whether party A or B will claim Putrajaya.

Now, assuming that party A managed to maintain its stronghold in the top left box, which has now been subdivided into five more kerusi, guess who's gonna pop some champagne for celebration?

You're right - party A, which has won five out of eight kerusi! You might ask: Is this even allowed?

Rules are meant to be broken...

No! Our federal constitution provides certain rules to be followed, such as the requirement that local ties ought to be maintained. Which means, you cannot 'suka-suka' break up the top left box into five columns.

However, as usual, some people live by the principle that rules are meant to be broken. So, the five columns will result in real-life oddities, such as couples sleeping on the same bed ending up being divided and having to vote in different constituencies. Yes, the rule has been broken to that extent.

However, as much as cynical me likes to slam the EC, I must say that this example is based on the EC's past doings. Of course, it could have received some enlightenment from a divine power and turned a new leaf, right?

So let's not be judgmental here and give the EC the benefit of doubt, eh?

Besides, for the current Sarawak redelineation, it'll also be very difficult to detect any gerrymandering because the proposed maps displayed by the EC do not show the boundaries of the ‘daerah mengundi’ (polling districts).

But why so? Is there a hidden agenda in not showing the them? I'll leave that for you to answer.

Now that the cheat of gerrymandering is unlocked, stay tuned for Part 3!

P/s: To find out more on what YOU can do, check out dart.bersih.org !

Part 1: Delineation - in the words of a 19-year-old

Part 3: Do we really need to increase Parliament seats?

         

JEAN SIOW is a 19-year-old second-year law student and currently an intern with Bersih 2.0.