EC’s redelineation to kill PKR, strengthen DAP?

(FMT) – PKR stands to lose the most in the Election Commission’s (EC) redelineation process, says a political activist, adding that the plan will effectively remove the party from the political landscape.

Speaking to FMT but declining to be named, he said the commission’s current proposal for the redrawing of electoral boundaries was designed to weaken PKR, strengthen DAP’s grip on its seats and help Barisan Nasional achieve a two-third majority in Parliament.

The activist works with an NGO that is opposed to the redelineation proposal.

He described the proposal as part of a “systematic process to get rid of PKR leaders”.

“Redelineation has always been a race-based initiative,” he said. “The way they pack voters is by race. That’s why DAP will easily keep the seats it has won. The current government wants DAP to win those seats.”

He said the proposals for Klang Valley constituencies clearly showed this intention.

“Let’s take the P106 Damansara seat. They have added to it the Chinese-majority state seat of Bukit Lanjan, which used to be under the Subang parliamentary constituency. This means some 60,000 to 70,000 voters have been added to P106 to the benefit of DAP.”

He noted that the Subang constituency would now include Sungai Buloh, making it a Malay-majority seat instead of a mixed seat.

“Moves like this are aimed at killing off PKR politicians and weakening parties that are multiracial,” he said.

“Another good example is the Lembah Pantai seat. More than 6,000 Bukit Aman voters have been moved to the constituency.”

Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah disagreed with this view, saying the redelineation was aimed more at benefiting BN than strengthening DAP or weakening PKR.

“This exercise is carried out to ensure that BN gets its two-third majority,” she said.

She agreed, however, that the exercise would benefit DAP in Chinese-majority areas.

The EC proposes to resize and rename Petaling Jaya Utara (P106) as Damansara and Subang (P107) as Sungai Buloh.

The Selangor government recently failed in the High Court to get an injunction to stop the EC from proceeding with its local inquiry, a key step towards the redelineation of electoral boundaries.

The local inquiry began on Dec 28.