THE opposition has suggested the formation of a parliamentary select committee to look through the Election Commission’s re-delineation draft if it is brought to the house on Thursday, said DAP leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Gelang Patah).

He said ample time is needed to look through the report before voting, adding that Parliament should not be used as a rubber stamp to pass the draft report in haste.

“Parliament should not be a rubber stamp. It should have time to look at the report and to study and to take a position.

“I suggest a PSC be formed to study the EC’s report before a vote is taken. There should be at least four weeks for the committee go through the series of proposal,” he told the media this afternoon.

Describing the government’s attempt to “bulldoze” the proposal through Parliament as shocking and a “real contempt of the house”, Lim said Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia should look into the matter.

“The EC has spent some time in preparing the report on the re-delineation of constituencies but the review has not been constitutionally conducted. In Selangor, there are still about 200 petitioners appealing against the EC who have yet to be called to have their case heard.”

Another sign of contempt is if the prime minister presents the report and Parliament is expected to approve it via a simple majority, he said.

Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP-Beruas) said the re-delineation report should not be brought to Parliament as there is a case pending against the EC on the issue.

“It must not be presented in Parliament as the court has yet to decide on the eight questions presented by the Penang government,” said Ngeh.

The motion was filed last Friday and expected to be served today.

This is in line with Pandikar’s decision to bar the 1Malaysia Development Berhad issue to be debated in Parliament because there is a court case on the matter in United States.

The EC submitted the re-delineation report to Prime Minister Najib Razak on March 9.

It’s chairman, Mohd Hashim Abdullah, said the re-delineation exercise as provided for under Article 113(10) of the federal constitution has been completed.

“With the submission of this final report, the duties and the responsibilities of the EC in implementing the delineation exercise have been completed as stipulated in the federal constitution,” he said in a statement.

The re-delineation exercise was delayed for more than a year after 15 cases were filed by various parties and challenged in court.

The applications to prevent the EC from implementing the re-delineation were, however, rejected by the courts. – March 19, 2018.