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Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

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(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): Is the Election Commission (EC) actively conniving, aiding and abetting BN’s dirty election tactics by practicing double-standards in giving BN the complete voters list not given to opposition parties? EC can not fulfill its commitment towards a clean, free, fair and impartial elections when there is no level-playing field if BN parties are given advantages denied to opposition parties.

DAP is deeply unhappy that according to a New Straits Times report today, BN component parties will be given a complete list of the country's 10 million registered voters to assist them in conducting door-to-door campaigning during the election. BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the list to be distributed nation-wide contained personal details and also been divided racially to make it easy for distribution among coalition members.

Such biasedness against opposition parties and favouritism to BN only proves DAP’s claims that EC is behaving no different than being an agent of BN to help BN to win by hook or by crook whether using politics of fear, cheating, compulsion, money and even violence. Now BN possesses an ally in the EC to conduct the next general elections in its favour and ensuring its victories. As a first step to prove that EC is fair to all parties, is the EC able to make available such voter list given to BN?

That BN controls the EC is clearly demonstrated by their opposition to the use of indelible ink on voters to prevent multiple voting and other electoral abuses. Ever since EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid bin Abdul Rahman’s proposal to use indelible ink on the thumb of voters to safeguard against multiple or phantom voting, BN parties have strongly opposed it unanimously.

By opposing the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting, BN leaders still relying on politics of fear, money, deception, compulsion and violence to win the next general elections

Since such opposition by BN, the EC has suddenly remained strangely silent and there is no news about using indelible ink. The latest leader to oppose the EC’s proposal was Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye who said the Election Commission proposal was an outdated method. No one can understand Chia’s logic that it is outdated when it is uncontroversial, cheap and effective in preventing fraud in the electoral process from phantom voters or multiple voting

DAP condemns BN component parties for opposing the use of indelible ink and oversight of postal voters during the voting process, which were one of the 10 proposal agreed to by Tan Sri Abdul Rashid when a DAP delegation led by me met him on 1st June 2007. Only because the EC has confidence in doing their job and wants to inspire confidence from everyone that they have done a fair and efficient job in the next general election, that such checks must be implemented.

If the proposal of using indelible ink accepted by Rashid is rejected, this will only confirm DAP’s claims that the EC is neither independent nor fair and is unable to perform its constitutional duty of ensuring free, fair, clean and neutral elections. This will make Malaysia a sham democracy where voters can not choose their wakil rakyats and leaders.