A letter to all Malaysians for GE14

The proposed redelineation was passed in Parliament on March 28, Wednesday hastily, where each MP was only given 10 minutes to speak.

During GE11 in 2004, due to redelineation, the opposition faced one of the worst defeats in general elections. My late father, Kerk Kim Hock, the then DAP secretary-general and defending candidate for Kota Melaka parliament seat, lost with slightly over 200 majority votes.

Kota Melaka was never a seat that was winnable in BN’s imagination. In fact, Kota Melaka was always an opposition stronghold since 1969. However, redelineation, among other factors, granted BN a miracle.

In the 2013 general election, despite receiving only 47 percent of the popular vote, BN managed to secure 60 percent of Parliament seats and form the government as an unpopular coalition. This again was the result of gerrymandering.

Now BN has done it again. Another constituency redelineation that is biased and skewed, one that favours BN heavily. Political analyst and activist Wong Chin Huat also pointed out that, with this redelineation, it is possible for BN to win the election with just 40 percent of the popular vote.

It is shameless for BN to even allow such an undemocratic exercise to happen in Malaysia. It is a shameless attempt that denied the will of the majority.

Despite losing the popular vote in GE13, BN had never intended to reform or convince Malaysians why should they be voted in as our government again.

The lack of remorse and political will in their weak governance can be proven with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s and BN ministers’ refusal to acknowledge the poor economic condition faced by the vast majority today, and all the abhorrent moves to conceal the world’s largest corruption scandal - 1MDB.

Enough is enough. Malaysia deserves to move on without BN.

I call on all Malaysians to protest and confront BN in the coming general election by voting against their tyranny. I call on all Malaysians who believe in democracy, justice, and governance of integrity to not only cast your votes, but also make sure that every eligible voter around you does the same.

It is only when there is a huge turnout on the polling date that we stand a chance to counter the effect of this redelineation exercise and bring hope to Malaysia's democracy.

Remember this: it is not Najib, Umno, MCA, MIC, or BN that we are fighting against. What we are truly up against is a system that allowed 1MDB, the National Feedlot Corporation, Felda Global Ventures, Teoh Beng Hock and the oppression of millions of Malaysians happen.

Only by changing the government and allowing a two-party system to happen for the first time in Malaysia’s history, will the dawn of hope arrive for Malaysians.

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KERK CHEE YEE is political secretary to DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang. -Mkini