![\"graph\"](\"http:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Graph.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Graph: Electoral size before and after the EC\u2019s 2016 redelineation<\/p>\n
In other words, the EC\u2019s latest proposal to re-delineate Lembah Pantai has turned my constituency from one that adheres the Constitution\u2019s mandate to be \u201capproximately equal\u201d in size, to one in strong defiance of the Thirteenth Schedule.<\/p>\n
The EC will Result in the Disintegration of Meaningful Local ties<\/strong><\/p>\n Another passage of the Federal Constitution that the EC has blatantly ignored is Subsection 2(d) of the Thirteenth Schedule, which designates the EC to upkeep the \u201cmaintenance of local ties\u201d during every redelineation exercise. Unfortunately, Lembah Pantai has an extensive list of examples wherein local ties are damaged and severed.<\/p>\n Mid Valley City will be demarcated to be part of Lembah Pantai, specifically the Kampung Abdullah Hukom polling district. However, it should be included into P120 Bukit Bintang, together with its neighbouring district Taman Seputeh where local ties are facilitated by Jalan 1\/86. (In the interest of space, the examples here are not exhaustive.)<\/p>\n The EC Failed to Perform its Duty to Inform the General Public<\/strong> But, what is just as important is pertinent information that is conspicuously absent. By omitting the constituency map with polling district boundaries, the EC is able to mask the breakup of local ties more effectively. By preserving the map that shows both new and old boundaries overlaid, constituency changes become harder to visualise. By keeping the electoral rolls and land mass to itself, the EC can get away with malapportionment with impunity.<\/p>\n The EC\u2019s sins of omission enables the government to remain opaque and unaccountable.<\/p>\n What has been done so far<\/strong><\/p>\n With such gross violations against the Federal Constitutions, at least 120 voters in my constituency quickly came forth to object the redelineation.<\/p>\n On 8 November 2016, the 120 objection signatures by enraged Lembah Pantai residents culminated into a public hearing with the EC. The hearing, presided upon by the EC Chairman Datuk Seri Hashim Abdullah, entailed a discussion on transparency. My fellow objectors called for the EC to disclose its digital maps, while I urged the EC to disclose the expert topographers that it had commissioned in this year\u2019s atrocious redelineation. It is in accordance to Article 115(2) of our Federal Constitution that every redelineation exercise must seek the involvement of two experts in topography – both whom are appointed by none other than the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.<\/p>\n A second hearing will be scheduled, after which the EC will put forth its final recommendations to the Prime Minister, before the final redelineation proposal is tabled in Parliament and passed with a simple majority. The EC need not oblige to the request of objectors, and the Prime Minister\u2019s go-ahead is mandatory. Frankly, the odds of exacting concrete change within the executive branch of government is slim, to say the least.<\/p>\n Legislative Blockades<\/strong> However, it is important to note that the objection against this year\u2019s redelineation is a bipartisan one. Component parties from Barisan Nasional which have protested the EC\u2019s redelineation include Gerakan, MCA, SUPP and MIC. Conversely, all parties in the opposition – KEADILAN, DAP, Amanah and Bersatu – have united in our opposition against the September 2016 redelineation proposal. Clearly, the legislative branch of government will not respect the will of the majority.<\/p>\n A Judicial Review Must be Filed<\/strong> The EC\u2019s latest redelineation exercise must be objected strongly. It is with this lawsuit that I hope to fight against an election process that is fraught with flaws, and that usurps democracy.<\/p>\n But, for reforms to be truly successful, everyone must play a part. Support Bersih 5 tomorrow!<\/p>\n NURUL IZZAH ANWAR \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Bersih 5 rally will gather tomorrow, with one of its key and founding demands being to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":7331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[1954],"class_list":{"0":"post-7335","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pilihanraya","8":"tag-bersih5"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7336,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7335\/revisions\/7336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nurulizzah.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Tasik Perdana polling district will be merged into Lembah Pantai. However, both Tasik Perdana and Taman Tunku are traditionally under P117 Segambut for covering a sizeable number of public institutions. Namely, Tasik Perdana has the Police Headquarters, Health Department, National Mosque, Lake Club and Bird Park; while Taman Tunku is inclusive of the House of Parliament, Bank Negara and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies. The EC\u2019s proposal to separate Tasik Perdana from Taman Tunku severs the local linkages between public institutions within the Segambut area. Tasik Perdana is not a residential district, and its predominance of public institutions display no semblance of a connection with Lembah Pantai.
\nParts of Brickfields that are currently within the jurisdiction of Lembah Pantai will soon be reassigned to P120 Bukit Bintang. However, part of Brickfields is Kuala Lumpur\u2019s largest transit hub – KL Sentral, whose residents and visitors often frequent the commercial district of Bangsar and vice versa. Therefore, such strong economic ties connecting Brickfields with Bangsar suggest that both areas must share the same parliamentary constituency, Lembah Pantai.<\/p>\n
\nWhen the EC unveiled its national redelineation plan on 15 September 2016, the Commission shared only very limited information with our fellow Malaysians. The disclosed information, including proposed electorate sizes by polling districts, and the new constituency boundaries acted only as a semblance of transparency.<\/p>\n
\nTherefore, in my efforts to ensure the EC\u2019s strict adherence of the Thirteenth Schedule under the Federal Constitution, this parliamentary session, I put forth a motion for Members of Parliament to cast a vote of no confidence against the EC. However, my efforts were thwarted by Speaker of Parliament Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia. This motion was rejected under Standing Order 23(2), for allegedly being \u201can abuse of the right of questioning, or calculated to obstruct or, affect prejudicially the procedure of the House, or to promote feelings of ill-will or hostility between different communities in the Federation\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nWith that, it leaves us no choice but to turn to the judiciary. On 11 November 2016, I filed a judicial review against the Election Commission to contest its redelineation review proposal.<\/p>\n
\nMember of Parliament Lembah Pantai
\nVice President and Election Director of KEADILAN<\/p>\n