Opposition leaders today rejected the Election Commission's (EC) proposal to amend the Election Offences Act 1954, announced by its chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman yesterday.

PAS secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa feared that the amendment will provide an upper hand to the ruling party and subsequently destroy the process of democracy in Malaysia.

"We don't want to see amendments to existing laws that are made simply to put additional constraints on opposition parties," he told malaysiakini .

The PAS leader said it was unfair for the EC to react positively to the grouses of the ruling party while ignoring the complaints of opposition parties, such as the abuse of the media and government machineries by the ruling party.

Yesterday, the EC chief said the commission wanted more powers, including the ability to disqualify parties or bar individuals from contesting and voting in the elections for five years if he or she violated campaign ethics.

The violations include using harsh words in ceramah (public talks) or posters.

Another opposition leader, PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali claimed that the EC is acting in a manner to strengthen the position of the ruling party as well as to cover its own weaknesses.

"There are a lot more urgent issues that the EC should try to resolve, such as the presence of dead voters in the electoral rolls, phantom voters and money politics," he said when contacted.

He added that the EC also failed to resolve the issue of 680,000 young voters who were denied from casting their ballots in the 1999 general election, thus giving Barisan Nasional an advantage.

Syed Husin said the various existing laws were more than adequate in handling any untoward incidents during an election period.

Completely unacceptable

Meanwhile, DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said the EC must sit together with all political parties and non-governmental organisations in drafting the amendments, rather than just BN.

The veteran politician, in a press statement, also dismissed the EC chairperson's request for more enforcement powers as completely unacceptable.

Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, too, criticised the move.

"The laws must be seen to be fair to both sides," she told malaysiakini .

On the EC's proposal to monitor the election process, she said this must be done by an independent body which does not have any vested interest.

In a related development, Bernama today reported that Puteri Umno supports the amendment as the wing's members were allegedly harassed by opposition supporters during the recently concluded Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections in Kedah.

PAS supporters received the bulk of criticism over their alleged strong-arm tactics.

The amendment to the Election Offences Act 1954 is expected to be tabled in parliament in September.