After a lukewarm response to the start of the re-delineation process from individuals and civil society groups alike, more red flags are now being raised over the increase of state seats in Sarawak.

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming in a statement today questioned the decision of the Election Commission to increase the number of state seats by 11, but without increasing the number of parliamentary seats.

Ong said the increase of state seats without the corresponding increase of parliament seats is proof of EC’s non-independence

The re-delineation exercise, which is the redrawing of electoral boundaries to correct imbalances in voter population size, was previously announced to be beginning at the end of 2014, but have been put off due to the east coast floods. Sarawak, however, was the first to begin the exercise.

“The recent Sarawak delimitation exercise, which officially began on Jan 5 with a public display of the maps in Sarawak was shocking because for the first time in Sarawak’s history, state seats were added without a single increase in the number of parliament seats.

In his statement, Ong said that since 1968, no state seats were added without the corresponding increase of parliamentary seats. 

“What is the rationale for increasing the number of state seats by 11 but not adding a single parliament seat? If an increase in the voting population is used to justify the increase in state seats, why should that rationale not apply to parliament seats as well?” he said.

Ong suggested that the reason for the discrepancy was so that no action by Parliament would be needed in the delineation process. 

“One cannot help but suspect that the real reason why there were no parliament seats added is because this would require a constitutional amendment at the parliamentary level where the BN does not possess a two-thirds majority. If new parliament seats were proposed, then the whole Sarawak delimitation exercise may be delayed because of it may get stuck at the parliamentary level,” he said.

“The non-increase in the number of parliament seats while at the same time increasing state seats is a clear indication that the Election Commission is not complying with democratic principles but is bowing down to political expediency in wanting to bulldoze the new Sarawak delimitation exercise in time for the Sarawak state elections, due by 2016,” he added.

He urged all parties to reject the “unfair and undemocratic Sarawak delimitation exercise.”