Tan Sri Abdul Rashid and the Elections Commission (EC) has even less credibility than the judiciary in Malaysia by refusing to admit that the electoral process in the country is in crisis when it is not clean, unfair, no level playing field with complete media bias, double-standards and closing their eyes to BN’s manipulation and vote-rigging
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Press Statement
by Lim Guan Eng
________________
(Petaling Jaya,
Monday):
Mainstream newspapers have
wrote of the effect that a
scandalous video clip of
senior litigation lawyer
Datuk V.K. Lingam allegedly
brokering a judicial
appointment for a very senior
judge has killed whatever
confidence left within the
public for the judicial
system. Tan Sri Abdul Rashid
and the EC has even less
credibility than the
judiciary in Malaysia by
refusing to admit that the
electoral process in the
country is in crisis when it
is not clean, unfair, no
level playing field with
complete media bias,
double-standards and closing
their eyes to manipulation
and vote-rigging by BN.
Tan Sri Abdul Rashid’s claim
in Kota Baru yesterday that
EC’s management of the
elections is dynamic and
among the world’s best is
ridiculous and laughable when
there are 322 centenarians
still registered in the
Melaka electoral rolls and
EC’s admission of mistakes
and wrongdoings in locating
its polling stations in which
constituency. Perhaps Tan Sri
Rashid meant management of
elections on BN’s behalf.
Opposition parties can accept
defeats if that is the will
of the people but not if it
is brought about by unlawful
means or dirty tactics
prohibited by the very
electoral laws that the EC is
supposed to enforce. For
instance Tan Sri Rashid
shocked Malaysians on
7.3.2006 when he said that
that up to RM 110 million was
spent on elections posters in
the 2004 general elections
and RM 3.5 million was spent
in the recent Pengkalan Pasir
by-election.
Under section 19 of the
Election Offences Act 1954, a
candidate for every
Parliamentary and state
constituency can not spend
more than RM 200,000 and RM
100,000 respectively. Clearly
the RM 3.5 million spent in
Pengkalan Pasir by-election
has far exceeded the legal
limit of RM 100,000 by 35
times.
Spending RM 200,000 on
Parliamentary seats and RM
100,000 on state seats mean
that a political party like
BN, that contested all the
219 Parliamentary and 445
state constituencies in the
2004 general elections, can
not exceed spending RM 88.3
million. Only BN has the
financial resources to spend
RM 110 million to spent on
posters alone in the last
general elections making
those elected illegal and the
whole ruling government
technically illegal under
electoral laws.
Spending above limits imposed
by the Elections Offences Act
1954 is an illegal practice
under Section 27 and is
subjected to a fine of RM
5,000 by the Sessions Court,
disqualification as a wakil
rakyat and rights as a voter.
However such laws are marked
more by its breach than its
compliance. EC’s failure to
act and question the legality
of the BN government not only
makes a mockery of the very
election laws it has drafted
but also the spirit of
democracy that votes should
not be bought and sold.
How can Tan Sri Rashid claim
that the EC is fair when he
dare not publicly castigate
Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Datuk
Mohamad Nazri Abdul Aziz whom
he alleged had given a false
reply on the number of new
postal voters in Ipoh Timor
and Ipoh Barat parliamentary
constituency? At a meeting on
29th November 2007 in Ipoh
with the DAP delegation
protesting against the
planting of 8,463 voters
suspected to by BN supporters
in the Ipoh Timor
Parliamentary constituency
and reduction of 656 of DAP
supporters in the Ipoh Barat
constituency, Tan Sri Rashid
said the current relocation
of voters to their "rightful"
constituencies is solely to
correct mistakes made in the
past.
How can the management of the
elections be dynamic,
credible and trustworthy
without any hidden motives
when the EC has admitted to
making mistakes in the past
and the local wakil rakyats
were not informed about this
relocation exercise made in
October 2004? DAP had
strongly condemns the
planting of voters in the
Ipoh Timor and Ipoh Barat
Parliamentary constituency
that shows the dirty,
dishonorable and desperate
tactics to defeat
Parliamentary Opposition
Leader Lim Kit Siang and M
Kulasegaran respectively.
DAP ADUN for Pasir Pinji
Thomas Su, whose constituency
is under the Ipoh Timor
Parliamentary seat, was
shocked when checking the
number of new voters for the
second quarter (1 April-30
June 2007) that there were 8,
463 new voters in the Ipoh
Timor as follows:-
1.
The wholesale transfer of the
entire 2,231 voters in the
Pengkalan Pegoh polling
station in the Sungai Rapat
state constituency/ Gopeng
Parliamentary constituency to
Pasir Pinji state
constituency/ Ipoh Timor
Parliamentary constituency;
2. The sudden increase in
postal voters by 3,208 even
though there are no new army
camps nor new police
stations; and
3. The extraordinary increase
in new voters or those
transferred into Ipoh Timor
of 3,024 new voters when the
normal increase in each
quarter is only 400 new
voters.
Such
an increase of 8,463 voters
in Ipoh Timor in only 3
months has endangered what is
considered safe DAP seat held
by Lim Kit Siang with a
majority of 9,747 votes to a
dangerous seat Even Thomas
Su’s majority of 2,841 votes
in his Pasir Pinji state seat
is also in jeopardy. Tan Sri
Rashid had denied DAP’s
claims by stating that there
were only an increase of
5,998 new voters as follows:
1.
The wholesale transfer of the
entire 3,804 voters from
Tambun and Gopeng
parliamentary constituency
into Ipoh Timor;
2. No increase in postal
voters; and
3. The increase in 2,194
newly registered voters.
Tan
Sri Rashid claimed the
figures obtained by DAP
through a reply by Datuk
Mohamad Nazri was wrong. This
is a serious allegation
implying that Datuk Mohamad
had misled Parliament but
there was no action taken Tan
Sri Rashid at false
information given. If EC was
indeed independent, Tan Sri
Rashid would have insisted
that Datuk Mohamad apologize
or justify his figures but
Tan Sri Rashid appears to be
more frightened of Datuk
Mohamad Nazri than Datuk
Mohamad Nazri is afraid of
Tan Sri Rashid.
Even the 5,998 new voters
conceded by Tan Sri Rashid is
still a significant increase
that may influence the
election results for Ipoh
Timor at the next general
elections. To win and lose in
electoral battles is normal,
but DAP would not accept any
defeat brought about by
unscrupulous manipulation For
this reason DAP rejects
totally the explanation by
Election Commission (EC)
chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid
Abdul Rahman that the
“wholesale transfer” of
voters from Tambun and Gopeng
to Ipoh Timor Parliamentary
constituency is mainly to put
right what was not done in
the last general election.
DAP would await the final
study by EC and formal reply
from Tan Sri Rashid on exact
figures before taking the
next course of action. Should
there not be a satisfactory
explanation DAP would
continue to press the matter
as we would not permit the
democratic principle and
right of Ipoh Timor voters to
elect our wakil rakyat to be
robbed or disenfranchised by
such dishonest and illegal
means.
(03/12/2007)
* Lim Guan
Eng,
Secretary-General of DAP |