The Sabah NGO appointed as an observer in the coming general election but which has thrown its support behind the chief minister, will only be an official observer after Parliament is dissolved.

NONE Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof ( left ) was commenting to Sabah Bersih which had urged that the Federation of Chinese Associations of Sabah (FCAS) be dropped as an observer because it was campaigning for a political party.

In a terse reply to Malaysiakini via SMS, Abdul Aziz said that the NGO’s appointment was bound by the conditions set by the commission.

“Their (FCAS) appointment has not come into force yet. It will only come into effect based on conditions set, when Parliament is dissolved until the end of the election.

“At the moment, they are just like any other ordinary NGO,” he said.

However, he said this did not mean that the Sabah NGO was free to campaign for or express their support towards any political party in the meantime.

“No, they are not a political party” he replied when asked, declining further comment on the matter.

The EC has previously said that there is to be no campaigning prior to the stipulated campaiging period.

Early this month, the FCAS was one of three NGOs officially appointed as a domestic observer for the 13th general election in Sabah and Labuan.

The next day, The New Sabah Times front-paged FCAS acting president TC Goh urging the Chinese community to support the BN state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Musa Aman.

This was condemned by Sabah Bersih spokesperson Andrew Ambrose, who said election observers must be independent and that “political campaigning should be left to the parties”.

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