Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday, 20^th August 2011:

Is fair and clean general election possible?

The many obvious incidents and events have shown that in Malaysia we are in urgent need and it is compulsory that a "total overhaul" is to be implemented in our election system.

The Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak has also said that a Parliamentary Select Committee is to be set up to look into the various matters arising from the election system and the problems within, because the Malaysian people have called for a clean and fair election in Malaysia.

This is a immediate need to clean up the mil-practices involved in the election process, and there are many unfair ways whereby the true representatives of the people during any elections have been deprived of their chance to be elected to represent the people.

There are loop holes and installed means to ensure that the election result is one sided. This is why we must have an election system reform. The voice of the people must be heard and they are asking for a clean and fair election to be held.

There are defaults arising using the postal votes system, where most of the cases that the postal voters had never seen their own ballet papers, let alone marking on them. This is especially on the uniform groups and their families are concerned. There are ex-servicemen coming out to testify now that they were ordered by their commanding officers to mark bundles and bags of ballet papers for their fellow servicemen with a reward. It is a true fact that the servicemen had voted without their knowledge who they had voted. It is clear that their ballet papers are all marked on the BN, and only a few for pity sack marked for the opposition. This ill practice can be traced back to the 70's. This has to stop completely and the postal voting system for the uniform groups is to be totally abolished, in fact these servicemen and their spouses can come to vote two days earlier before the actual polling day and cast their votes in polling stations set up in their various military camps or police stations, and to be witnessed by the polling agents of the various candidates.

The electoral rolls have the biggest problem involving plenty of faults, discrepancies, dubious person, dead and very old people of over 110 years still being listed as voters. The SPR (Election Commission) must immediately get down to correct these problems with the help from JPN (National Registrar). The SPR should not be seen as not having a genuine intention to put the matters right and stop blaming each other.

The complaints on the names of dubious persons appearing on the electoral rolls did raised concern among the people. In cases where suddenly many unknown people appeared in the list of some small kampongs where the kampong heads do not even know who they are, and where these people come from? This is obviously some quarters had stuffed in additional phantom voters to increase their chance of winning. To object on these people to be registered as voters, SPR charges a high fee of RM10 per head for investigation on the person under query. Just imaging if there are four hundred people needed clarification and to raise objection, we have to pay RM4,000 to SPR. SPR should check and confirm them before listing them for gazette. This system is specially designed to deter the people from filing objections and seeking clarification on people listed who are not genuine or imported. Is it fair?

There are plenty of problems associated with the Malaysian election process, and it is internationally known. The BN government not allowing international independent observers to come to witness on the Malaysian elections is not to allow the inbuilt defaults to be exposed and criticized. The question on how effective the Parliament Select Committee can be is still has to be seen. Many people think that the BN is not sincere to clean and straighten up the election processes, and in fact they will further input and install measures to intensify their chance of winning and to restore power.

Where is the fair and clean election that the Malaysians are longing for? If we don't change now, when can we change, this is the last chance for Malaysians to change. Therefore use your votes and concentrate to vote only for Pakatan Rakyat and not any party else.

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu