(Petaling Jaya, Tuesday) : DAP strongly condemns the planting of 8,463 new voters in the Ipoh Timor Parliamentary constituency that shows the dirty, dishonorable and desperate lengths taken by certain irresponsible quarters to overhaul Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang’s majority of 9,774 votes in the 2004 general elections. 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 only 3 months has endangered what is considered safe DAP seat held by Lim Kit Siang to a dangerous seat Even Thomas Su’s majority of 2,841 votes in his Pasir Pinji state seat is also in jeopardy. This unusual and extraordinary quantum increase in voters may not only end there as the third quarter voters figures from 1 July 2007 top 30 September 2007 are still not out. If the quarter increase in voters are the same as those in the second quarter, then Lim Kit Siang or any other DAP candidate standing in Ipoh Timor face the possibility of losing not because they were rejected by genuine local voters but by foul means of “phantom” voters planted by certain irresponsible quarters.

Malaysians know that Lim Kit Siang has been the sworn enemy of corruption, abuses of power and gross mismanagement. He has been a dedicated defender of the poor, oppressed, discriminated and voiceless. There are strong forces and efforts made to ensure that he is defeated and his fearless voice that makes Ministers tremble and the corrupt quake in their feet no longer heard in Parliament. 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 Gopeng to Ipoh Parliamentary constituency is mainly to put right what was not done in the last general election. He said that certain polling stations and localities in the area were not placed correctly under the original exercise in 2004 and the EC had the legal power to correct it before the next general election.

DAP disputes the legality of such wholesale transfer especially when it is done without the consent or knowledge of the voters. At the meeting yesterday, Tan Sri Rashid conceded that the EC Perak Director was wrong to conduct the wholesale transfer of voters in a secretive and surreptitious manner without even informing the sitting MP and State Assemblyman. However to insist that this is legal goes against the present constitutional provisions that provide that every delimitation exercise necessitating a change of polling stations must be approved by amendment of laws and by Parliament and the State Assembly.

Further when the polling stations were brought for approval in Parliament and the State Assembly, the government and EC had asserted that their lists were correct and had it gazette accordingly. For the EC to claim that they had made a mistake not only shows that they were unprofessional, inefficient or not clean in carrying out their duties but trying to cover up their mistakes by secretly and quietly carrying out the voter wholesale transfer exercise.

DAP would await the personal visit by Tan Sri Rashid to personally investigate the Ipoh Timor planting of phantom voters scandal after the Hari Raya Puasa celebrations before deciding on 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 of electing our wakil rakyat to be robbed or disenfranchised by such dishonest and illegal means.