BN component parties and its allies have been warned the Election Commission’s (EC) redelineation proposal amounts to a power grab by Umno at their expense.

“This is not just PKR, DAP, PAS, Amanah, and Bersatu fighting about this redelineation process.

"I’d like to warn MIC, MCA, Gerakan, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Makkal Sakti, and whatever party there is, that they are being drowned and being set aside in this whole equation," said Sri Andalas assemblyperson Xavier Jeyakumar today.

“They are being told directly that they don’t need your votes; you can be appointed later, and you are not in the equation anymore.

“That is the message from Umno to all its component parties, and I think these parties would have to wake up to the situation and be firm about what is happening now in order for them to take action, and be vocal about what’s happening on the ground,” he told a press conference at PKR’s headquarters today.

DAP’s Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng meanwhile said the redelineation exercise has the effect of racially polarising Malaysia by pitting Malays against non-Malays, which would lead to instability, and hence must be rejected.

Referring to earlier statements where MCA and Gerakan leaders voiced misgivings about the redelineation proposal, Lim urged the two parties’ members to pressure their leaders to raise the issue.

“This racial profiling exercise by the EC is extremely dangerous.

"If the whole proposal is gazetted and applied in a future election, our country’s future elections would always be seen as Malay versus non-Malay fights, and this would put our country (on the path) to racial instability, so we should object this […]

“The MCA and Gerakan grassroots should tell their leaders, their ministers, to discuss this in their cabinet meetings.

"Bang tables if they want; flip tables if they have to,” he said at the same press conference.

MCA, Gerakan note polarisation

Yesterday, MCA president Liow Tiong Lai was reported saying the party’s leaders would meet on Tuesday to discuss the EC’s redelineation proposal.

The Star today reported Liow saying initial feedback on the proposal was the new electoral boundaries would aggravate racial polarisation in Malaysia.

“Some Malay-majority areas will have more Malays and Chinese-majority constituencies more Chinese.

“This is not healthy for a multiracial society, it will push the country towards becoming a theocratic state,” he was quoted saying.

Gerakan deputy youth chief Andy Yong yesterday voiced similar concerns, in addition to noting that the changes would likely be detrimental to Gerakan.

“The proposal also reflects (how) the election (process) now has torn apart any remaining fiction about interethnic harmony in Malaysia.

“The redelineation is supposed to look at the composition of ethnic Malay, Indian, and Chinese, in short representing all Malaysians, instead of the domination of a single race,” he told Malaysiakini yesterday.

Non-Malay percentages whittled

Meanwhile at the press conference, Indera Kayangan assemblyperson Chan Ming Kai highlighted some constituencies that would see drastic changes in ethnic composition under the EC’s proposal.

Among them is Selangor state constituency Paya Jaras.

Chan estimated that the proportion of Malay voters in Paya Jaras would increase from 56.8 percent to 75.6 percent, while Chinese voters would be reduced from 30.7 percent to 14.9 percent.

Indian voters would also reduce from 11.2 percent to 9.4 percent.

This is a result of having the eastern part of Paya Jaras along with most of its Chinese voters being moved to the neighbouring Bukit Lanjan state constituency, and the newly enlarged Bukit Lanjan constituency would be shifted from the Subang parliamentary constituency into the Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary constituency.

Subang would also be renamed Sungai Buloh as part of the proposal, while Petaling Jaya Utara would be renamed Damansara.

“We are not saying that if it is Malay-majority, we would lose, but what is the meaning of this? Can the EC explain this?” he said.

He added based on polling trends in the 2013 general election, DAP’s Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua could see a winning majority in excess of 60,000 votes, instead of the 44,672 votes he garnered in the last election.

However, this would come at a cost of weakening the opposition foothold in several other seats where an opposition victory is less certain.

“So the whole trend is, they don't care about MCA or the Chinese voters, as long as Umno wins. So they move, and move the voters around.

“The result is that Malay seats would have fewer Chinese voters. We might even lose Gombak,” he said, referring to PKR deputy president Mohd Azmin Ali's parliamentary seat.