The Election Commission should push for constitutional reform to enable it to accommodate opposition members in its ranks, said a former minister.

abdul kadir sheikh fadzir talking 280904 Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir ( left ), who was tourism minister under Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration, said the government and EC can no longer hold off change in the current system, to keep up with current demands.

"The government says we have free and fair elections. Takpe lah (that's okay), that's their view," he said in his opening speech at the launch of Angkatan Amanah Merdeka, or Amanah, today.

"Then there was Bersih, which led to a 48 percent popular vote (for the opposition) in 2008... it's time for the EC to expand, push to change the constitution so it can include opposition representatives in the EC."

Abdul Kadir stressed that clean and fair elections are a fundamental right and that the onus is on the government of the day to provide that to all Malaysians.

He implied that the current state of the electoral system was an insult to the nation’s founding fathers, who he said built the country on polls that were transparent, fair and on a level playing field.

“The government knows, the rakyat know, whether we have free and fair elections... so, let it be truly clean,” he said.

Abdul Kadir is among a group of former and current political and civil society leaders who have joined senior politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to form Amanah.

Abdul Kadir pointed out that they came together on the common view that the country had veered off its intended path, which was based on the constitutional guarantees laid out by the country’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and his peers.

‘Don’t become another Nigeria’

He hinted that the current crisis of confidence facing the Malaysian government was similar to the recent political upheaval in Nigeria, which saw the installation of Goodluck Jonathan as president last year after he instituted anti-corruption, power and electoral reforms while serving as acting president.

While Abdul Kadir maintained that he was not referring to Malaysia, he went on to list out several issues that just happened to mirror the various grouses and objections raised by the opposition and government critics.

“You call for an election, so the EC chief has to be orang kita (our people). Talk about the police, and the IGP (inspector-general of police) has to be orang kita , then in the judiciary the AG (attorney-general) is orang kita , the chief justice is orang kita .

“Then you say let’s show the people we are fighting corruption, and the MACC has to be orang kita . Media? Just buy all of it.

“Okay, you will win (elections), but at what cost? This is 2011, and the people are revolting. They are now educated and saying, ‘Hey brother, I know what you are doing is not right and you are no longer holding on to amanah merdeka (the promises of independence),” he said.

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