Kuching: The Election Commission (EC) must explain why 6,578 voters from the established Kenyalang Park community are being proposed for transfer from the Pending state constituency to the newly created Tabuan Jaya constituency, said ADUN for Pending, Violet Yong.
Yong said the 7th Review of Electoral Boundaries in Sarawak must not be treated merely as an exercise of drawing lines on a map, as electoral boundaries directly affect political representation, community interests and the integrity of established communities.
She said EC must ensure the redelineation exercise is conducted fairly and transparently, with sufficient information provided on the data, criteria and methodology used to determine the proposed boundaries.
Yong said she was particularly concerned that Kenyalang Park, which was previously part of the Pending constituency, is now proposed to be divided among three state constituencies – Padungan, Pending and the newly created Tabuan Jaya.
“More significantly, some 6,578 voters from Kenyalang Park are proposed to be moved from the existing Pending constituency into the newly created Tabuan Jaya constituency,” she said in a statement today.
Yong questioned why an established and intact community should be divided among three different constituencies and demanded that EC provide a clear justification for the decision.
“Why must one established and intact community be divided into three different constituencies? Why should 6,578 voters from the same community be moved into a newly created constituency? What criteria and justification did EC use to make such a decision?” she asked.
According to Yong, Kenyalang Park has a long-established community identity, with residents sharing common infrastructure, public facilities, living environments and day-to-day community concerns.
She stressed that the principle of Community Integrity must be respected in the redelineation process, saying established communities with common interests should, wherever reasonably practicable, remain within the same constituency.
Yong also said the public has the right to know why particular residential areas or communities are being transferred or divided.
Without sufficient data and reasonable justification, she said, residents could not make informed and meaningful representations or objections to the proposed boundaries.
“A constituency is not merely a collection of numbers. A constituency is about people, and it is about real communities,” she said.
She called on EC to fully disclose its data, criteria, and methodology, and to provide a clear explanation for how Kenyalang Park was divided among three constituencies, including the proposed transfer of 6,578 voters to Tabuan Jaya.
