Commonwealth told not to ignore those other than Zimbabwe

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An opposition leader today voiced his concern over the conduct of the Zimbabwe presidential elections and said the abuses of the countrys electoral system mirror those of Malaysia.

Keadilan supreme council member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar called on the Commonwealth secretariat to uphold the principles of fair and fee elections in every member state, including Malaysia.

The focus on Zimbabwe is a timely reminder of how crucial elections are to the functioning of a vibrant democracy and how easy it is to subvert them, he said in open letter to the secretariat of the grouping which is made up of former British colonies.

We assume the secretariat is not blind to the subversions that exist in countries other than Zimbabwe, he said.

The South-African country on Wednesday concluded its presidential elections which witnessed Robert Mugabe, 78, winning a fifth term in office amid criticism of ballot irregularities and ruling party violence.

Mugabe scored 54 percent of the total votes, beating his rival Morgan Tsyangirai who received 40 percent, while the other six percent was shared by three minor candidates.

Mugabe became the countrys leader since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980.

The United States and Britain, as well as various international organisations and media watch groups, have condemned the conduct of the elections, including the detention of some 1,500 opposition polling station officials and independent election observers during the campaign.

Britain and Australia had earlier called for Commonwealth sanctions against Mugabe but failed to obtain consensus among its member countries.

Authoritarian regime

Jeyakumar said the abuses in Zimbabwe are similar to what is practised in Malaysia, among others, the denial of peoples right of association, free speech, and assembly.

Though these are in theory protected under Article 10 of our Federal Constitution, they are overridden by the Police Act 1967 which the government has unfailingly used against opposition parties for years, he said.

He added that the arbitrariness of the government on human rights have won the country the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime.

The opposition leader also questioned the independence of the Election Commission which he said failed to resolve problems of ineligible voters and to ensure fair elections.

He went on to say that the control of the media by the government also led to denying the citizens right to hear all kinds of view.

Jeyakumar added that the government has used legislation to limit participation to thwart the democratic process.

It seems that deposits to contest in the next general elections will be increased dramatically: from RM3,000 to RM5,000 for a state seat and from RM5,000 to RM10,000 for a parliamentary seat, he said.

The purpose is clear: to reduce opportunities for those opposed to the government to stand in the elections, he added.



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