Overcrowded Selangor, overrepresented Sabah: EC flags voting imbalance

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — “Imagine in Selangor — overcrowded. There are far too many people, but the number of parliamentary seats is small,” said Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Azmi Sharom, highlighting disparities in voter representation across Malaysia. 

While Selangor and Terengganu pack more voters into fewer seats, Sabah and Sarawak enjoy proportionally higher representation despite smaller populations, according to a report published in Sinar Harian today.

Selangor, the country’s most populous state, has 22 parliamentary seats for 2.9 million voters, averaging 132,000 voters per seat, while Terengganu’s eight seats cover 931,000 voters, or 116,000 per seat. 

By contrast, Sabah and Sarawak have 65,000-76,000 voters per parliamentary seat, roughly half the average in Selangor, giving them what Azmi described as “overrepresentation.”

He said the Federal Constitution allows flexibility in drawing constituency boundaries, taking into account geography and population density, particularly in large rural areas. 

“If a rural constituency is very large but has few voters, we need a reasonable justification. Forcing equal numbers could make the constituency too big and unfair to its representative,” he explained.

Azmi also highlighted the importance of clear redelineation guidelines. 

“Our role is to study and redraw constituency boundaries after the statutory eight-year period. Any decision to add parliamentary or state assembly seats is entirely up to Parliament and the state assemblies. The EC’s responsibility is to ensure constituency sizes are fair and justifiable,” he said.

On Sabah and Sarawak, he noted: “Although these states are overrepresented, this is constitutional and should not be questioned. They account for 16 per cent of the population but hold 25 per cent of parliamentary seats.”

He further emphasised the need for balance between urban and rural constituencies. 

“Flexibility is necessary, especially for states like Sabah and Sarawak, which cover vast geographical areas. Any differences in constituency sizes must be well justified and clearly explained to the public to maintain trust in the redelineation process,” he said.

Sarawak has already approved 17 new state seats, bringing the total to 99, while Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia are expected to be eligible for future redelineation reviews.