Election Commission (EC) chairman Mohd Hashim Abdullah said people needed to understand that the EC did not have the authority to approve the redelineation proposal, and that the power to do so rested solely with Parliament.
“If Parliament does not agree, (with the redelineation exercise) we will not follow through; if a simple majority agrees to it then we will proceed because it is according to the constitution,” he told a press conference today.
Hashim said if Parliament was dissolved before it was able to pass the redelineation proposal, the EC would stick to the existing electoral boundaries.
He added that the same held true for the court cases that had been brought against its redelineation exercises in Selangor and Malacca.
“It depends on the courts verdict, only then will we be able to proceed, after the cases,” he said.
He said once the notice of the proposed redelineation had been gazetted, the public could study it at selected places, and registered voters could make representations if they were unhappy.
The EC issued a notice under the constitution to carry out the proposed redelineation in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah on Sept 15 last year.
The two-year exercise has yet to be completed in the peninsula.
Hashim also rubbished claims that the redelineation exercise would help certain political parties win in a big way, alluding to allegations by the opposition that the EC’s actions appeared to suggest it was working to help the Barisan Nasional win the GE14.
Hashim dismissed it as just “their perception”.