KUCHING: The Election Commission's (EC) proposed redelineation of state constituencies in Sarawak has improved in transparency but still raises concerns over fair representation, say two civil society groups.
Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (ROSE) and Tindak Malaysia acknowledged the EC's efforts to provide a dedicated website, detailed constituency maps and clearer procedures for voters to submit objections to the proposed boundary changes.
However, they said the proposal still contained "serious problems" involving malapportionment, unequal voting power, oversized urban constituencies and insufficient consideration of local community ties.
The first draft of the EC's redelineation proposal went on public display in Sarawak on Tuesday (Sept 1) for 30 days.
It proposed creating 17 new state constituencies, increasing the total from 82 to 99, while renaming 10 state seats and one parliamentary constituency.
In a statement on Wednesday, ROSE and Tindak Malaysia said the proposal reduced the disparity between the largest and smallest state constituencies by voter population from a ratio of 7:1 to 3:1.
Under the proposal, Piasau would become the largest state seat with 34,546 voters, while Pelagus would be the smallest with 10,372.
Nevertheless, the groups said malapportionment remained substantial, with 30 seats having voter populations at least 120% of the state constituency average, while 34 were below 80%.
They also raised concerns over what they described as oversized urban constituencies, saying the new Tabuan Jaya seat would have a voter population 140% of the average, while Piasau would remain disproportionately large.
"The proposed boundaries continue to penalise Sarawak's urban voters despite the state's demographic reality having increasingly shifted towards urban areas," the statement said.
ROSE and Tindak Malaysia also said several constituencies appeared to group voters with limited community, geographical or administrative ties.
They cited Demak Laut, which is located in Kuching division but is proposed to be moved from the Santubong parliamentary constituency to Kota Samarahan despite, they said, having limited geographical and administrative links with Samarahan division.
Similarly, they said the Asajaya state constituency, which has stronger links with the Kota Samarahan area, would be transferred to the Batang Sadong parliamentary constituency.
"These changes raise serious questions about whether the principle of preserving local ties and communities of interest has been adequately considered," the groups said.
They urged Sarawakian voters to scrutinise the proposed boundary changes, check whether they were eligible to submit objections and identify areas where representations could be made.
"Tindak Malaysia and ROSE will collaborate to provide information and assistance to communities capable of submitting representations," they added.
