INTERVIEW | Royal commissions of inquiry on two issues will be top of the agenda for former Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah if she is voted into Parliament.

Speaking to Malaysiakini in an interview yesterday, Maria said the two RCIs would each look into the issue of electoral reform and local council elections.

Although a parliamentary select committee on electoral reform was formed in 2012, she believes that it did not offer concrete ideas on alternatives for Malaysia to adopt.

As an example, Maria pointed to Malaysia’s first-past-the-post electoral system, which she said does not ensure representation and fairness, a situation aggravated by practices such as malapportionment and gerrymandering.

“So, if you are looking at mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) and all that, then it allows even small parties to survive to some extent,” she said.

Generally, in an MMP system, each voter is entitled to choose a local representative and a party.

Half the legislature is filled by local representatives who win in the polls, and the other by political party appointees.

This ensures that the composition of the legislature reflects each party’s popular vote. Countries that practice MMP include Germany and New Zealand.

As for the RCI on local council elections, Maria said it would function to investigate its necessity, and what laws need to be changed to revive the practice.

She said she hopes to lobby for support for these issues, and that Pakatan Harapan MPs would help...