Stop debating re-delineation bill until court cases over, says Bersih 2.0


Bede Hong

Prime Minister Najib Razak making his way to the Dewan Rakyat to table the re-delineation report today. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, March 28, 2018.

BERSIH 2.0 acting chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari urged lawmakers to stop debating the Election Commission’s report on the redrawing of electoral boundaries until all ongoing court challenges are settled. 

There are two ongoing cases filed by the state governments of Penang and Selangor in the Federal Court and the Court of Appeal, respectively. 

Bersih 2.0, along with 107 individuals, also filed a judicial review at the Shah Alam High Court last week to challenge the EC’ re-delineation report. 

“We still maintain our stand that the tabling of this bill is in contempt of court because the legal proceedings are ongoing,” he told The Malaysian Insight after handing over a memorandum at Parliament today. 

“We urge the MPs from both sides to wait until the result comes out on these cases. We have stated again and again to wait until the results of these cases come out.”

Opposition lawmakers Ong Kian Ming and Charles Santiago have filed a motion to stop discussing the report.

Charles, who is Klang MP, also filed a court injunction at the Shah Alam High Court yesterday to stop the tabling of the bill.  

Earlier today, 800 protesters, including former prime minister and Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad turned up for the handing over of the memorandum.

Bersih has called the proposals unconstitutional as they violate several provisions, including Section 2 of Article 13 of the federal constitution, which requires the EC to have regard for local community ties in its re-delineation proposals.

Bersih also said the federal constitution provided that the number of electors within each constituency in a state ought to be approximately equal.

“It is unconstitutional no matter how you look at the proposals,” Shahrul said. 

He added that at today’s event, one person fainted. Red Shirts’ leader Jamal Yunos was also missing.

“I did see his right-hand man though. He wasn’t in a red shirt, however,” Shahrul said.  

Jamal, who is Sungai Besar Umno division chief, promised to gather outside Parliament today. – March 28, 2018.


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Comments


  • Another message, loud and clear to the dullards of Harapan. Maybe two messages in one day might wake you up to the reality that you are a dud, a completely failure as an alternative government. You have wasted so much time and so much money pursuing fantasies that anyone with any common sense would know WOULD FAIL. All your righteous court cases and your sanctimonious bullsh has been a cover for ONE THING. The fact that you are incapable of or unwilling to electioneer on the basis of the needs of Malaysia and its people. All you could think of was yourselves and your righteousness. And because of that you have WASTED a wonderful opportunity to wrest government from BN. Not that your effort was wasted because you have saved Malaysia from a fate worse than BN. TODAY the VERY CLEAR MESSAGE is that NOBODY wants another Mahathir era. And NOBODY wants a Chinese dominated government

    Posted 8 years ago by Dennis Da Menace · Reply

    • Spoken like a true idiot. Yawn.

      Posted 8 years ago by Tommy richard · Reply