A PRESS aide to the prime minister has criticised the opposition for politicising the Election Commission’s (EC) redelineation exercise, saying the process is carried out to reflect population growth.

In a statement issued by the Special Affairs Department, press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad said the process was entirely normal, free from political interference and managed by the independent EC.

“The opposition’s politicisation of the process and exploitation of the legal system to stop it is an attempt to distract from its falling popularity.

“The reality is that Malaysia’s judiciary is free and fair. Decisions frequently go against the government, as is a matter of public record.

“The opposition only complains when decisions go against it. It is a shame that the opposition chooses to run down its own country, internationally, just for its own political gain.”

The Court of Appeal yesterday ruled that the EC was allowed to proceed with conducting local enquiries in Selangor as part of its proposed redelineation exercise.

The court’s decision overturned the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling to stay the local enquiries process into objections, following a judicial review by the state government against the redelineation.

The state government, however, lost its bid for a judicial review to declare the redelineation unconstitutional at the High Court.

The appellate court’s ruling to set aside the stay was a 2-1 decision led by justices Idrus Harun and Yaacob Md Sam, while Rhodzariah Bujang dissented.

The court did not give grounds for its decision.

The High Court’s stay on the EC’s enquiries process earlier this month had been welcomed by Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali, who said if the stay had not been given, the state’s appeal would become academic and would have no effect on its legal arguments later on.

By granting a stay, the EC would have been unable to complete local enquiries and submit its report to the prime minister.

It would then be unable to get the redelineation approved by Parliament. – December 19, 2017.