By-election: Concerns over potential redelineation under Anwar-led Unity govt
NOR AZURA MD AMIN
JOHOR BAHRU - Amendments to the Federal Constitution related to the re-delineation of electoral areas are feared to be carried out by the government under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim if they have a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that if the move is made by the unity government, it is most likely that the country's constituencies will increase from the current 222 to 300 seats, with an increase in seats in the cities.
"Where is the area that he (the unity government) wants to add, maybe in urban areas where there is population density? This is not a matter of racial issues; this is a geopolitical reality that already exists here and in other places.
"This is termed 'gerrymandering, where the areas that people do not support (the unity government) are removed and enter another place, and he gathers them in one place.
"He only took the people who supported him and added new seats to guarantee their victory in the election. If we follow the current situation, the majority of urban areas will be re-demarcated, while for Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, and states in the north, it may not be added a lot," he said.
He said this when speaking at the PN campaign at Kempas here on Saturday night.
Also present were PN Secretary General, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin; President of Gerakan, Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai; PN Information Chief, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali; and PN candidate for the Pulai Parliamentary by-election, Zulkifli Jaafar.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president, said that the plan can be blocked by Pulai voters by winning the PN candidate in the Pulai Parliament on Sept 9, which in turn denies the two-thirds majority of the unity government.
"If the unity government has enough of a majority, of course, that will be done, but we voters have to think about the effects and impact of this considerable delimitation.
"Of course, the areas in the city controlled by the opposition, especially DAP, will double, but what will happen to us later? he said.
