Dear Sir,
We refer to your article,’Government to look at one person, one vote’ proposal dated April 1.
We are indeed practising ‘one person, one vote’ since day one of our Independence. That is the essence of Parliamentary democracy where each and every Malaysian is given the right to vote in the state or federal elections. To register and vote once and once only in each and every election.
However, for obvious and good reasons, not all constituencies have the same number of voters. The rural areas where population is sparse compared to urban areas, the voters are generally fewer as compared to city/town area. For instance, Kapit has substantially fewer voters then PJ Selatan. If the same number of voters are required to elect a representative, then the whole of Kapit, Kanowit, Song, Belaga and the whole of interior regions of Sarawak could not even have a representative in Parliament.
There are valid reasons why our forefathers instituted those safeguards.
If proportionate representation is instituted, states like Sarawak who represented only about 10 percent of Malaysia’s population will never have their voice heard audibly in the Parliament. Rural areas like those in the hinterland of Sarawak will be ignored by those in power because they hardly carry any weight in terms of representation in Parliament. Maybe, the whole of Kapit division to Baram and interior would have only one Member of Parliament. Who will care about one MP when there are 222 seats at stake?
So, our view is, it is justified to have less voters in a sparsely populated area when compared to urban area. Only then, the voices of all could be heard loud and clear in Parliament.
Philip Wong Pak Ming,
President of Kuching Canadian Graduates’ Association.