Media statement by M.Kula in Ipoh on Sunday, 8^th April 2012:

DAP is giving its total support for the Bersih 3 rally

On July 9 last year, 50,000 Malaysians participated in the historic Bersih 2.0 rally to make 8 demands.

The demands were:-

Clean the electoral roll

Reform postal ballot

Use of indelible ink

Minimum 21 days campaign period

Free and fair access to media

Strengthen public institutions

Stop corruption

Stop dirty politics

Due to the success of the rally, BN government felt compelled to set up the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms (PSC).

Although there were doubts that it could be tactic to buy time or an exercise of propaganda by the BN government, Pakatan Rakyat was willing to give the Committee a chance and agreed to be represented in the Committee.

But time has proven that the BN government is not truly committed to a free , fair and clean election.

Of the 8 demands made by the Bersih 2.0 rally, only one was met, that is the use of indelible ink.

The PSC report failed to take into account the following issues raised.

1. Over 31,000 names which have been shifted from state and/or parliament constituency to another without their knowledge as a result of the 'stealth correction' of boundary lines of state and parliamentary constituencies by the Election Commission which is illegal and unconstitutional

2. The failure of the Election Commission to delete over 42,000 names of voters whose citizenship status cannot be verified by the National Registration Department (NRD).

3. The failure of the Election Commission to verify the status of over 65,000 voters aged 85 years and above including over 1000 who are more than 100 years old.

4. Over 15,000 names whose IC numbers show a different gender than the Election Commission records.

5. Over 4500 names of spouses of police who are registered as postal voters when they are clearly not entitled to this right.

Pakatan Rakyat has provided concrete evidence of all these problems but they have not been recognized in the PSC majority report.

The total number of voters associated with these problems adds up to over 150,000 and many of them are located in marginal or swing constituencies that will be closely contested in the next general election."

How could PSC ignore all these problems?

How could the prime minister say there will be free, fair and clean election if such and other problems highlighted by the Opposition are ignored.

As such, DAP is giving its total support for the Bersih 3 rally to held at Dataran Meredaka on 28^th April 2012 at 2pm.

* M. Kula Segaran, DAP National Vice Chairman & MP for Ipoh Barat