THE Election Commission (EC) has yet to explain why Penang was left out of the redelineation process, says the state government.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, state housing exco Jagdeep Singh Deo and Raja Syarafina Raja Shuib attended a second hearing with the EC this afternoon concerning the state’s objections to being left out.

Lim said he was no wiser after speaking to the EC officials for almost half an hour.

“No reason was given. They just said it was required under the law. They would deliberate and discuss, and then decide.

“There was no reply to our submission of objections, like in the first hearing (last November). 

“It gave the impression that it is an exercise in futility reduced to a mere formality,” he told reporters after the closed hearing at a hotel in Tanjung Bungah.

Lim said he reiterated to the EC officials that Penang hoped for a written response from the EC on why the question of malapportionment in the state was not going to be addressed.

“I think this is the first time Penang is left out of the process. Without a redelineation, we will continue to have a malapportionment problem,” he said. 

Lim said there were several parliamentary and state constituencies in Penang that were over- and under-represented – an issue that could have been corrected with the redelineation.

He cited the Bukit Gelugor and Balik Pulau parliamentary seats as examples. Bukit Gelugor, which is held by DAP, has 81,897 voters while Balik Pulau, a Barisan Nasional seat, has 49,641.

“Bukit Gelugor has 1.65 times more voters than Balik Pulau.

“It is worse in some state seats. Paya Terubong has 41,707 voters while Air Putih has 12,752 voters. That is 3.37 times more. Paya Terubong can have three assemblymen,” he said.

Paya Terubong is a DAP seat, as is Air Putih, which is Lim’s state constituency.

Such malapportionment, Lim said, did not respect the basic democratic principle of “one person, one vote, one value”.

“Without redelineation, there is discrimination, disparity and injustice. You are not ensuring that the people enjoy equal representation.”

Penang’s objection to the EC argues that it is against Article 113(2) of the Federal Constitution for the commission not to carry out the redelineation exercise to correct the malapportionment. – May 3, 2017.