Izzah: EC flying in the face of democracy in Sarawak

Nurul Izzah urges the halt on public inquiries on re-delineation until Judicial Review is heard and Parliament debates the electoral re-delineations.

KUCHING: Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice present, Nurul Izzah Anwar, has criticised the Election Commission (EC) in Sarawak for going ahead with public inquiries on the re-delineation of constituencies and the creation of new state seats without waiting for the outcome of a Judicial Review on the issue and without Parliament having had the opportunity to debate the matter.

“The democracy that we expect has faced another hurdle in the attitude of the EC in Sarawak.”

She urged the EC to disclose all matters complained about in the Judicial Review application.

Izzah pointed out that the credibility of the EC had been compromised to such a great extent that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had to set up the Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms in 2013. “Even then, there have been no real reforms,” she lamented.

The Judicial Review, she added in revisiting the matter in Court, has merit based on several discrepancies which have been observed by voters and the Opposition in Sarawak.

These include: the increase in state seats would not be accompanied, for the first time in Malaysia’s history, by an increase in parliamentary seats; the decision by the EC to shift voting districts from one parliamentary seat to another in violation of section 7 of the Elections Act, 1958 (Act 19); the location of voting districts being absent from the notice boards displayed in the areas re-delineated and thereby giving rise to widespread speculation that the EC had something to hide; and the decision by the EC to brush aside the Judicial Review process underway.

The Elections Integrity Report (EIP) published on February 20 by the Election Integrity Project based at Harvard University and Sydney University refers, said Izzah. “The EIP names Malaysia as among the worst offenders when it comes to the integrity of elections.”

“The country failed on two counts viz. scoring only 28 out of 100 when it comes to integrity in electoral re-delineations and only 33 out of 100 when it comes to election laws.”