Malaysia is going out to vote again on 19 November 2022, come rain, shine, or thunderstorm. Am I excited about it? Yes! I have voted for quite a number of times and I definitely want my one vote to count. Through the years, I have learned something about the undemocratic process called ‘gerrymandering’.
Gerrymandering is ‘the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.' (Merriam-Webster)
In the last General Elections in 2018, when the ruling party got booted out, it was a taste of victory and hope, though the euphoria did not last long. It was then when I realized the worth of my one vote in a big city as compared to that in a small town.
In the last election, Kapar [P109] had about close to 125,000 voters whereas Putrajaya [P125] had 27,314 voters. Therefore, one vote in Putrajaya was equivalent to more than 4 votes in Kapar. Another comparison can be seen between Bangi [P102] in Selangor and Igan [P207] in Sarawak. Bangi has 178,790 voters, but Igan [P207] in Sarawak, has 19,639. (Malaysian Bar) This definitely does not contribute to equality in an election. Will it ever come to the point that despite having more than 50% of the popular vote, that particular party may not rule due to gerrymandering?
It is therefore not surprising to me that The Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) research paper published in November 2017, ranked Malaysia's election integrity at 142nd out of 158 countries, just above Zimbabwe (143th), Vietnam (147th), and Afghanistan (150th).
Fellow Malaysians, we need to come out in full force to vote. Let us all aim to beat the 2018 voter turnout of more than 82%. Doing nothing and being disappointed will definitely get us nowhere. It will drag our nation down even further. Deciding to come out and exercise your right as a citizen will at least give us a clear conscience that we have fought for our generations to come. We have helped to put our nation back on the right path through the ballot box. Our children, grandchildren and generations to come deserve to inherit a peaceful and prosperous Malaysia.
Mei Wong | 29 Oct 2022
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