No seat should have twice the voters of another, says Pulai MP

Suhaizan Kaiat says it is unfair to penalise urban voters by making their votes 'less valuable' than those of voters in much smaller constituencies.

Significant disparities exist in voter numbers across Malaysia. Seats such as Bangi recorded more than 300,000 voters in the 2022 general election, while others, like Lenggong, had around 37,000.

Suhaizan said that in densely populated areas such as the Klang Valley, constituencies like Titiwangsa, Shah Alam, Damansara and Petaling Jaya are highly competitive and often won by slim margins, while rural constituencies allow candidates to secure seats with far fewer votes.

“This situation demonstrates an unequal distribution of votes, which the EC must address,” he said in a statement.

“It is unfair to penalise urban voters by making their votes less valuable than those of voters in much smaller constituencies.

“This imbalance has long been built into our electoral system… Past mistakes must be corrected in the redelineation process currently underway this year.”

The Federal Constitution states that the number of voters in each constituency within a state should be “approximately equal”.

It outlines four main principles that guide the EC in any delineation exercise, with demographics – population size and number of electors – being the key consideration.

Electoral boundaries can only be reviewed after eight years, or if there is an amendment affecting the number of members of the Dewan Rakyat or a state assembly.

For Sarawak, the eight-year period ended on Aug 21, 2023. Last July, however, the Sarawak state assembly approved an increase of 17 new state seats. The EC is now finalising its recommendations before moving to the next steps required under the constitution.

For Sabah, the eight-year period ended on Feb 21, 2025, but the EC has yet to decide whether to begin the review as the state recently held an election.

For states in Peninsular Malaysia, the eight-year period since the last boundary review will end tomorrow.