EC reneges on election laws, listens only to govt: DAP
DAP secretary general Kerk Kim Hock today accused the Election Commission of going against its earlier promise to seek the views of all political parties before it proposes amendments to election laws following the recent Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections.
Kerk said that although the EC is supposedly an independent body, it has "again strengthened the image that it only listens to the wishes and dictates of the government".
"Until today, I am not aware of any opposition party being invited for dialogues with the EC although discussions have been held between the government and the commission," he said.
"I wish to remind the EC not only to fulfill its promise to invite all political parties to present their views, but also to carry out its bestowed responsibilities as an independent and autonomous body in a truly independent and fair manner," he added.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Dr Rais Yatim was reported in today's
Utusan Malaysia
as disclosing the outcome of the meeting between the government and the EC on the question of amending election laws following the recent by-elections in Pendang and Anak Bukit.
According to the government, the two by-elections have been tarnished by excessive violence by Umno's arch rival, PAS.
PAS, on the other hand, claimed that it had lost in Pendang, the party stronghold formerly held by former PAS president and Opposition Leader Fadzil Noor, due to phantom voters.
Debate on Sept 9
The proposal for amendments to the 1954 Election Laws by the commission came following the Saggang (Pahang) by-election in 2000.
The proposed amendments have gone through first reading and are expected to be debated at the coming parliamentary meetings which will begin on September 9.
After the recent Pendang and Anak Bukit by elections, the EC has proposed amendments to the election laws but it said that it would seek the views of all political parties.
Kerk, who is DAP member of Parliament for Kota Melaka, also said that the outcome of the constituency delineation exercise will have a significant influence over the results of the next general election.
"As it is crucial, the DAP will study the Election Commission Report which is expected to go on public display next week and to make the necessary protests or complaints in accordance with stipulated procedures," he said.
"With the abolition of the provision that the difference between the voter population for a rural and urban constituency should not exceed 15 percent, the one-man one-vote principle has been severely eroded and this has often resulted in the number of seats won by the opposition being not proportional to the number of votes gained," he added.
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