EC deputy chief insists elections free and fair

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — The Election Commission (EC) has continued to defend the electoral system, stating in a letter published by Utusan Malaysia today that irregularities have “never been proven” and were based on “assumptions and perception.”Deputy EC chief Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar wrote a point-by-point rebuttal to the Umno-owned newspaper, insisting that there has been no proof of phantom voters and that postal votes, campaign periods and media access was fair.“We ask them what is not free and what stage is it that they say is unfair?” Wan Ahmad said.

His defence in the Malay daily comes after two recent public debates with Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan in which he faced a hostile crowd.He had passed the buck on electoral reforms demanded by the coalition of 62 NGOs calling for free and fair elections as they had to be vetted by the Attorney-General before being tabled in Parliament.But in his letter today, Wan Ahmad added that the opposition “claims that elections are unfair based on several assumptions and perception that they have never been able to prove in court through election petitions.”


He noted that those who made those claims have “won in contests to claim seats in Dewan Rakyat and state legislative assemblies.”Wan Ahmad added that demands that the campaign period be extended to 21 days were unnecessary as Malaysia had fewer votes but better infrastructure that other countries cited such as Indonesia (140 million) and India (750 million).He also said that the opposition had access to media via party organs and new media channels “that generally supports their ideology.”Following the July 9 rally which saw tens of thousands pour into the streets of the capital, Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have increased pressure on the Najib administration to implement reforms before a general election expected within the year.

Opposition lawmakers demanded earlier this week an emergency sitting of Parliament after claiming to have found 1,600 foreigners that have been given citizenship and voting rights.They have also insisted on the use of indelible ink to mark voters as a new biometric system cannot prevent individuals from voting repeatedly if they have been registered in multiple constituencies.


Source :http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ec-deputy-chief-insists-elections-free-and-fair/