Mahkamah Tinggi batalkan persempadanan semula kawasan p'raya Sarawak...
Perintah ini bermakna SPR perlu melakukan semula proses persempadanan pilihan raya bagi Sarawak, bermula dari awal.
Mahkamah tersebut pada petang ini mengarahkan SPR agar menerbitkan notis tersebut selaras dengan Jadual Ketiga Belas Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Hakim Yew Jen Kie dalam penghakiman ke atas semakan semula yang difailkan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Batu Lintang See Chee How dan seorang pengundi di Ulu Baram, Pauls Baya bersetuju dengan bantahan See bahawa notis bertarikh 5 Januari yang dikeluarkan SPR buat mereka yang terkesan daripada persempadanan itu tidak mengandungi butir yang mencukupi.
Menurut Yew, adalah mustahak bagi SPR untuk menerbitkan daftar pengundi itu, senarai cadangan perubahan dan kawasan yang bakal menerima kesan agar pengundi tahu bagaimana mereka akan terlibat dalam persempadanan semula itu.
Kegagalan SPR berbuat demikian katanya, mencabuli peruntukan yang digariskan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
SPR menurut See bertindak terdesak pagi ini apabila memfailkan kenyataan bantahan memohon agar mahkamah mengisytiharkan semakan kehakiman tersebut sebagai akademik kerana persempadanan semula sudah disempurnakan.
Timbalan Pengarah SPR Sarawak Suraini Saruji dalam afidavitnya berkata, pendengaran tempatan sudah diselesaikan dan SPR kini sedang menyiapkan laporan untuk dihantar kepada perdana menteri dan Parlimen.
Peguam cara kanan Persekutuan yang mewakili SPR, Azizan Mohd Arshad berkata tarikh persempadanan semula itu akan berlangsung semula bergantung kepada sama ada SPR akan merayu keputusan ini.
Menurutnya, keputusan tersebut terletak di tangan peguam negara.
Sementara itu, Pengerusi SPR, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof berkata pihaknya perlu meneliti dahulu keputusan hari ini sebelum mengumumkan langkah seterusnya.
"SPR akan mengkaji keputusan mahkamah itu dengan teliti dan satu kenyataan media akan dikeluarkan mengenainya," katanya.
SPR mempunyai masa selama 2 tahun bermula dari tarikh Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak meluluskan peningkatan sebanyak 11 kerusi negeri pada tahun lepas untuk menyelesaikan persempadanan semula.
See yang memfailkan semakan kehakiman sebelum ini gembira dengan keputusan itu.
"Sekurang-kurangnya saya menyumbang kepada menjadikan seluruh proses ini telus," kata timbalan pengerusi PKR Sarawak itu.
Dalam permohonan semakan kehakiman sebelum ini, See dan Baya berhujah SPR "meringkaskan, menghalang dan/atau menempangkan hak mereka untuk mendapat notis tentang kesan cadangan SPR dan bertindak secara silap dan mencabuli peruntukan Perlembagaan Persekutuan".
See dan Baya memohon semakan kehakiman itu pada 2 Februari dan mahkamah membenarkan permohonan penangguhan secara sebelah pihak itu pada 17 Februari.
Mereka memohon mahkamah mengisytiharkan notis SPR dalam dua akhbar negeri, dua akhbar nasional, dan satu akhbar sebagai tidak mematuhi peruntukan dalam Jadual Ketiga Belas Perlembagaan Persekutuan kerana akhbar tersebut tidak diedarkan dalam konstituensi yang terlibat dalam persempadanan semula itu.
Hakim Yew bersetuju dengan hujah yang dikemukakan See dan Baya. – tmi
High Court nullifies EC's Sarawak re-delineation...
In a landmark decision, the Kuching High Court today nullified the Election Commission's re-delineation exercise for Sarawak.
Following this, Justice Yew Jen Kie granted a declaration sought by Sarawak PKR that the re-delineation lacked in detailed particulars of the areas specified in paragraph two of the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
The court also granted a mandamus order to compel EC to republish the notice of its proposed recommendations to review the division of the Sarawak state constituencies for the purpose of elections for the state legislative assembly.
The application was made by Batu Lintang assemblyperson See Chee How (photo) and a voter of Baram.
This is a victory of sorts for the opposition who had been contesting the re-delineation exercise as invalid because it lacked particulars for voters to protest.
The Kuching High Court granted leave (permission) on Feb 7 to See's application for a judicial review.
Today's decision would hamper Chief Minister Adenan Satem's plan to seek a fresh mandate following his appointment last year. The state must hold elections before the middle of next year.
At present, Sarawak has 71 state seats and the re-delineation exercise by EC seeks to increase it to 82 - an additional 11 - for the state legislative assembly.
Besides this decision today, activist Haris Ibrahim has also filed for a judicial review against the EC to compel the electoral body to provide details of the re-delineation process for all constituencies in Malaysia.
Thanked civil society groups
See, when contacted, said today's decision was good for the people of Sarawak as the EC should not bulldoze through a re-delineation exercise like it had done in the past.
The decision, he said, meant the court found that the EC had not been complying with the 13th Schedule as required by the Federal Constitution.
“This is not only a victory for Sarawak but for other states facing re-delineation exercises. I would like to personally thank electoral watchdog Bersih, Tindak Malaysia and NGO Rise of Sarawak Efforts (Rose).
“They and other civil society groups contributed much to our efforts and in supporting us in our challenge.”
With the decision, the Batu Lintang assemblyperson said EC will have to comply with what is required under the Federal Constitution.
EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (photo), when contacted said the electoral bodu will 'carefully study' today's Sarawak High Court decision.
“An official media statement will be issued accordingly,” he said.
On electoral re-delineation exercises in other states, Abdul Aziz said EC will issue a notices for them at the appropriate time.
The 13th Schedule
The Federal Constitution's 13th Schedule Paragraph 2 states :
'The following principles shall as far as possible be taken into account in dividing any unit of review into constituencies pursuant to the provisions of Articles 116 and 117 —
(a) while having regard to the desirability of giving all electors reasonably convenient opportunities of going to the polls, constituencies ought to be delimited so that they do not cross state boundaries and regard ought to be had to the inconveniences of state constituencies crossing the boundaries of federal constituencies;
(b) regard ought to be had to the administrative facilities available
within the constituencies for the establishment of the necessary registration and polling machines;
(c) the number of electors within each constituency in a State ought to be approximately equal except that, having regard to the greater difficulty of reaching electors in the country districts and the other disadvantages facing rural constituencies, a measure of weightage for area ought to be given to such constituencies;
(d) regard ought to be had to the inconveniences attendant on alterations of constituencies, and to the maintenance of local ties. - mk
Following this, Justice Yew Jen Kie granted a declaration sought by Sarawak PKR that the re-delineation lacked in detailed particulars of the areas specified in paragraph two of the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
The court also granted a mandamus order to compel EC to republish the notice of its proposed recommendations to review the division of the Sarawak state constituencies for the purpose of elections for the state legislative assembly.
The application was made by Batu Lintang assemblyperson See Chee How (photo) and a voter of Baram.This is a victory of sorts for the opposition who had been contesting the re-delineation exercise as invalid because it lacked particulars for voters to protest.
The Kuching High Court granted leave (permission) on Feb 7 to See's application for a judicial review.
Today's decision would hamper Chief Minister Adenan Satem's plan to seek a fresh mandate following his appointment last year. The state must hold elections before the middle of next year.
At present, Sarawak has 71 state seats and the re-delineation exercise by EC seeks to increase it to 82 - an additional 11 - for the state legislative assembly.
Besides this decision today, activist Haris Ibrahim has also filed for a judicial review against the EC to compel the electoral body to provide details of the re-delineation process for all constituencies in Malaysia.
Thanked civil society groups
See, when contacted, said today's decision was good for the people of Sarawak as the EC should not bulldoze through a re-delineation exercise like it had done in the past.
The decision, he said, meant the court found that the EC had not been complying with the 13th Schedule as required by the Federal Constitution.
“This is not only a victory for Sarawak but for other states facing re-delineation exercises. I would like to personally thank electoral watchdog Bersih, Tindak Malaysia and NGO Rise of Sarawak Efforts (Rose).
“They and other civil society groups contributed much to our efforts and in supporting us in our challenge.”With the decision, the Batu Lintang assemblyperson said EC will have to comply with what is required under the Federal Constitution.
EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (photo), when contacted said the electoral bodu will 'carefully study' today's Sarawak High Court decision.
“An official media statement will be issued accordingly,” he said.
On electoral re-delineation exercises in other states, Abdul Aziz said EC will issue a notices for them at the appropriate time.
The 13th Schedule
The Federal Constitution's 13th Schedule Paragraph 2 states :
'The following principles shall as far as possible be taken into account in dividing any unit of review into constituencies pursuant to the provisions of Articles 116 and 117 —
(a) while having regard to the desirability of giving all electors reasonably convenient opportunities of going to the polls, constituencies ought to be delimited so that they do not cross state boundaries and regard ought to be had to the inconveniences of state constituencies crossing the boundaries of federal constituencies;
(b) regard ought to be had to the administrative facilities available
within the constituencies for the establishment of the necessary registration and polling machines;
(c) the number of electors within each constituency in a State ought to be approximately equal except that, having regard to the greater difficulty of reaching electors in the country districts and the other disadvantages facing rural constituencies, a measure of weightage for area ought to be given to such constituencies;
(d) regard ought to be had to the inconveniences attendant on alterations of constituencies, and to the maintenance of local ties. - mk
Lepas topup sila jangan guna, kalau guna kena GST,
idea menteri UMNO biul...
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