I would really like to think that the Election Commission (EC) is an independent body. The malaysiakini reports on the EC are very telling.

Whatever maybe the legal provisions in the laws relating to the EC's independence, I think that the answers by the commission head, Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, in the malaysiakini interview does not reflect an independent body. I just want to comment on certain points.

Abdul Rashid may have his own views of PAS and its alleged planted voters. However in choosing to only comment and berate PAS on planted voters, Abdul Rashid may have shown his bias for Umno.

Has he not any evidence of planted voters by Umno and the component parties of BN? It is strange that he has not put together the hard evidence on this isn't it? In making these anti-PAS responses, he could be easily seen to be un-independent, dragging the commission with him.

He offered the reason for delineation as a heroic attempt to form racially-mixed constituencies in certain states or areas 'to help stabilise' the country. This could also be seen as an engineering of votes in Malay areas where Umno has lost substantial Malay votes.

Abdul Rashid's explanation of increased deposits to weed out "non-serious" candidates showed that there has been no consideration at all of serious candidates from parties not as affluent as Umno.

This rationale is too weak as a basis for denying the right to any person his democratic right to run as a candidate. Abdul Rashid should heed his own advice to opposition party leaders to leave some matters like corruption (paying off of 'non-serious' candidates) to the judiciary to decide.