Political analyst Wong Chin Huat broke the Dewan Rakyat's embargo on the Election Commission's redelineation proposal report during a public forum today.

Wong said he was compelled to do so because the contents of the report would have "disastrous" implications on the country. 

"I am going to break the law for the sake of this country.

"The report is under embargo...(because) there are a lot of things that perhaps the EC and the powers that be don't want Malaysians to know, before their MPs vote on it tomorrow.

"So I feel compelled to reveal what I have learnt... Malaysians need to know some of the alarming and disastrous implications of this proposal," he said.

He said he will also release the EC's report in full on NGO Engage's website.

The proposal was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last Thursday but Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia placed an embargo on the contents which expire tomorrow.

Wong added that he had presented himself at Parliament speaker's office to pay the RM1,000 fine for violating the embargo in accordance with Section 9 of the House of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952.

However, one of Pandikar's aides told him that he would not be fined as the matter "did not concern Parliament", Wong told Malaysiakini.

Pakatan Harapan leaders have similarly decried the embargo, with Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali calling it a “gross betrayal of parliamentary democracy” because it deprived Malaysians the right to information about their voting districts.  

The forum in Kuala Lumpur today was titled "How Malaysia's elections are being stolen" and discussed the EC's proposal at length.

'EC tearing constitution apart'

Wong lambasted the proposal for exacerbating malapportionment - the manipulation of electoral sizes as well as gerrymandering - the manipulation of constituency electorate composition.

Wong also accused the EC of “tearing the Federal Constitution apart” by not honouring provisions in the Thirteenth Schedule that rule on redelineation.

He specifically referred to subsection 2(c) that stipulates how “the number of electors within each constituency in a State ought to be approximately equal except that, having regard to the greater difficulty of reaching electors in the country districts and the other disadvantages facing rural constituencies, a measure of weightage for area ought to be given to such constituencies”.

In light of his concerns, Wong urged Malaysians to vote in the 14th general election to help ensure a representative election.

“My hope is that Malaysians take heed about what’s going on in the country.

“If you choose not to vote, you are basically letting seven old men decide our future,” he said, referring to the seven EC commissioners.

He also encouraged members of the public to join Bersih’s rally against the EC’s redelineation exercise at the National Monument tomorrow.

Despite the embargo, all three volumes of the EC’s redelineation report were leaked online on Mar 23.

Meanwhile, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said his party is prepared to defend Wong for breaking the embargo.

"DAP has appointed a panel of four MP-lawyers headed by Ramkarpal Singh (Bukit Glugor) and comprising Teo Nie Ching (Kulai), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Thomas Su (Ipoh Timor) to defend political analyst Wong.

"I commend Wong for his patriotic action, which reminded me of Gandhi’s Salt Protest and Salt march in March 1930 which started with Gandhi’s act of non-violent civil disobedience against British colonial rule to produce salt from the seawater in the coastal village of Dandi (now Gujarat)," he said in a statement.

Lim also criticised Pandikar for a "most ridiculous and undemocratic" embargo on the EC's delineation report.