Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Hanipa Maidin said the redelineation process for Sarawak would end in 2023, Sabah in 2025 and the peninsula in 2026.
“If the redelineation process is to be carried out before the next general election in 2023, the government would need to amend Article 133 of the constitution. And it would still need the Dewan Rakyat’s approval of a two-thirds majority,” he added.
He said the Election Commission was also looking at other suitable systems and working together with parliamentary select committees, NGOs, political members and academics on the matter.
He was replying to Wong Kah Woh (PH-Ipoh Timur) who asked whether there were plans to revamp the electoral system and carry out redelineation of boundaries.
He said gerrymandering was widespread and needed to be reviewed as the number of voters should be almost the same unless it was a big constituency and it was difficult for voters to attend the voting process.
Constituency redelineation is done to prevent the imbalance of voting population in polling districts.
On March 28, the Dewan Rakyat passed a motion on the redelineation of electoral boundaries. This was opposed by the then-opposition, who argued that it encouraged ethnic polarisation and was gerrymandered to favour the BN coalition.
The last redelineation exercise prior to the one this March was carried out in 2003, ahead of the 2004 election.