Presentation from IMIA (Asia Pacific) Annual Conference, Brisbane, Nov 2015

1. MAPS OF SOCIAL ACTION: CASE
OF ELECTORAL REFORM
Danesh Prakash Chacko
(Tindak Malaysia Network Services PLT)

2. ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE, ONE VALUE
• Understanding Electoral Delimitation
• Challenges in Preparing for an Objection
• Power of GIS and maps
• Case Study: Sarawak Delimitation 2015
• Conclusion

3. ELECTORAL DELIMITATION/
MALAYSIAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM
• Delimitation
• Parliamentary style government
• First Past the Post (FPTP)
• Gerrymandering and
malapportionment
• Electoral Quotient (EQ)

4. TINDAK MALAYSIA : WHO WE ARE?
• Successful in training Polling &
Counting Agents for 2013
elections
• Delimitation is one of the big
ongoing Projects
• Why do we invest time, money
and energy in the Delimitation
project?
Tindak call of Volunteers (Above) and Polling Agent Advert (Left)

5. CHALLENGES OF OBJECTION PROPOSAL
1. Geospatial Challenge
• No Free Maps/ Dataset
• Poor quality of Data
2. Time Challenge
• 30 days to present
objection
3. Financial/ Other Challenge
• USD 6000 for the maps &
electoral roll!
• No funding
This map was issued for the
delimitation of Sarawak
(Left). This was the ONLY
map provided by EC for us
to analyse and object.

6. POWER OF GIS AND MAPS
EARLY DAYS (2013 -14)
• Scanned Maps to Digital
Dataset
• Google Maps Engine
(GME) – Not Effective
• Photoshop and GIS
approach
• Redistricting Using Excel
Scanned
Map to
GME. It
takes 14
hours to
finish one
seat ONLY!

7. POWER OF GIS AND MAPS
Early Days (2013 - 14)
The map on the left
is published part of
Tindak Malaysia
Forum (2014).
It is a product of
Photoshop,
GIS and Excel
redistricting

8. POWER OF GIS AND MAPS
Current Approach (2014 - )
• Georeferenced &
Digitization using
QGIS
• QGIS training for
everyone
• Development of
QGIS Redistricting
Plugin Redistricting plugin developed by Sean Lin.

9. POWER OF GIS AND MAPS
1) Objection Purpose
• Maps lowered barriers to
objection
• Alternative boundaries are
proposed quickly
One of the prominent lawyers filed a court case to push
disclosure of maps from EC for public to access freely.
2) Education Purpose
• ArcScene of voting
value
• CartoDB

10. POWER OF GIS AND MAPS
Difference in Voting Value for Sarawak using ArcScene.
Shared by a number of Malaysian NGOs

11. CASE STUDY: SARAWAK
DELIMITATION
• Two Rounds of Delimitation
(January & March 2015)
• One month to object
• Challenges:
• Small scale map available
• Electoral Roll too costly
• Very limited information for
objection
• Collaborated with Local NGO
to file an objection for one
seat –providing maps

12. CASE STUDY: SARAWAK
DELIMITATION
Court Case on Redelineation (9 months battle)
State
Assemblyman &
Registered voter
(applicants) file
a court case
against EC
Kuching High
Court instruct
EC to redo
redelineation
EC appeals to
Court of
Appeal
Court of
Appeal
override the
Kuching High
Court’s Ruling
Applicants
file court
case to
Federal
Court
Federal
Court
upholds EC
redelineation

13. CONCLUSION
• Delimitation Project opened people’s mind to GIS and maps
• Maps are fundamental to fact-based objection
• Challenges : Data Access, Public Awareness and Judicial Review on electoral
matters
• Would like to Thank:
• Tindak Malaysia team http://www.tindakmalaysia.org/
• Rise of Sarawak Efforts (ROSE)
http://www.sarawakrose.org/