The Election Commission’s (EC) request to use a state hall to display drafts of the latest constituency boundaries has set alarm bells ringing in Penang.

 

This prompted the state constituency redelination committee to hold a roundtable discussion on Jan 26, 8pm, at the Caring Society Complex.

 

An invitation has been sent out to the EC to brief the public, political parties, and NGOs, on its redelineation exercise.

 

“Urgent” is how Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, a member of the committee, described the situation.

 

The displays would include new polling boundaries and the latest electoral roll to be used in the coming general election, Sim said at a press conference in Komtar today.

 

“The EC must conduct this session and gather feedback and objections from all stakeholders, before the latest constituency boundaries and electoral roll are gazetted,” he added.

 

Accompanying Sim was DAP’s Tanjung MP Ng Weik Aik ( left in photo ), who is also part of the committee. 

PAS’ Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa, also a committee member, was not at the press conference.

 

Ng said the committee is urgently seeking at least 100 registered voters in each constituency to state their objections on the proposed redelineation exercise.

 

Only the state government, local authorities, and a minimum of 100 registered voters in a particular constituency, can raise objections to the EC, he said.

 

Of these, only three representatives and 20 supporters per group of 100 are allowed to attend the hearing on the objections, he added.

 

‘EC must explain boundary changes’

 

Ng urged lawyers to register as objectors, or else there would be no legal representatives at the hearing.

 

“We must be told why an area within a constituency is moved to another constituency,” Ng said.

 

“An area that has majority support for BN may be moved to be another part of a neighbouring constituency which was won by Pakatan Rakyat,” he added.

 

“This may result in more votes being in favour of BN in the next elections”.

 

Meanwhile, Sim said municipal councillors and state government officers have been briefed by the committee last week.

 

He admitted that the information surrounding the redelineation exercise was “complicated and difficult to understand”.

 

He noted that the situation was no better than during the last exercise in 2003.

 

Sim also lamented that the EC has yet to respond to requests for a meeting, although the committee had sent two letters.

 

He urged for a combination of people – lawyers, NGO representatives, and the public – to register as objectors so the group will be represented by diverse sectors.