SUBANG Jaya voters on the first day of a public inquiry in Shah Alam urged the Election Commission to explain in detail its redelineation of electoral boundaries in Selangor. 

Management consultant Theresa Ratnam, who has lived in Subang Jaya for almost three decades, said the public had not received sufficient information about the redelineation exercise.

“We have not been given enough information to make informed decisions,” Theresa told reporters staked out at the Grand Bluewave Hotel after the hearing.

The media were not allowed near the ballroom on the hotel’s first floor, where the inquiry was held.

Each objector representing at least 100 voters was given 30 minutes to speak to an EC panel of seven members, which included EC chairman Mohd Hashim Abdullah.

Theresa said the 100 voters she represented were concerned that in terms of voter population, Subang Jaya, a state seat, was larger than some parliamentary seats in Selangor.

“How can a state seat be larger than a parliamentary constituency? (There is) No justification,” said Theresa.

In 2013, Subang Jaya had 61,688 registered voters while federal constituencies such as Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar, and Tanjong Karang had 37,318, 42,837 and 42,333, respectively.

Another objector Benny Paul said the EC had also failed to explain to why it had allowed the number of registered voters in Subang Jaya to nearly double in a decade, from 38,606 in 2004.

Khairil Khalid, who represents some 200 objectors from Subang Jaya, said the EC should split the Subang Jaya seat into two.

“It’s unfair and it contradicts the one person, one vote principle when urban seats like Subang Jaya have close to 68,000 voters and rural seats like Sungai Burong have fewer than 30,000 voters,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the seats were not proportionately drawn in Selangor, adding that the difference between the seats should not be more than 10,000 voters.

Khairil also said that the setting of the public hearing could be intimidating.

“The setting was like a courtroom. As a lawyer I’m used to it but normal residents might feel intimidated,” he said.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, who could not attend the inquiry today, criticised the EC for rushing the redelineation through.

“I wrote a letter to the EC last week to request for another date because of the short notice and that I would be away. As of now, I have yet to receive a written reply to my letter.

“My assistants followed up with multiple calls – the EC responded on the phone saying no written reply would be given – whether I turned up or not they are proceeding with the hearing.

“Is this how an institution funded by taxpayers should be behaving?... Why the rush in Selangor? For whom (is the EC rushing for)?” she said.

A source, who showed reporters the schedule for the hearings, said the hearing would continue until Friday.

The EC today heard objections to redelineation of the federal seats of Ampang, Subang, and Kelana Jaya, and the state seats within the three parliamentary constituencies.

The EC will listen to objections to redelineation of Gombak, Sungai Buloh, and Tanjung Karang tomorrow and Kuala Selangor on Friday.

Pakatan Harapan believes that once the EC has wrapped up the public inquiry, BN will hold a special parliamentary session to bulldoze the redelineation proposal through Parliament before the
14th general election next year.

Selangor lawmakers have argued that the new electoral boundaries are unfairly drawn to favour the ruling Barisan Nasional, a contention that the EC and BN have not adequately addressed. – December 27, 2017.