Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) today submitted a memorandum to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) on the Election Commission's (EC) alleged foul play during the recent polls.

The 16-page memorandum comes a week after the party's Barisan Alternatif ally filed a similar complaint with the human rights watchdog.

The Keadilan delegation, led by party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali and vice-president Mohd Azmin Ali, handed the 16-page memorandum to commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan at the commission's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Hamdan was also provided with a thick stack of documents said to contain proof of the party's assertions.

The occasion attracted more than 200 supporters who gathered outside the building for more than an hour listening to speeches by several leaders including vice-presidents Tian Chua and Sivarasa Rasiah, Youth leader Badrul Hisham Shahrin and PAS central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli.

Although there was a heavy police presence, no untoward incidents occurred.

Last week, a similar gathering took place when some 500 PAS supporters held fort outside the Suhakam headquarters while party leaders lodged their protest.

Nine irregularities

In the memorandum addressed to Suhakam chairperson Abu Talib Othman, Wan Azizah listed down nine irregularities which Keadilan had discovered during their investigations into the EC's conduct.

She protested over the EC's issuance of multiple electoral rolls between nomination day and polling day, all of which differed significantly.

"The EC's use of two different electoral rolls on nomination day and polling day clearly violates provisions in the Elections Regulations 1981. This took place in almost all polling divisions in Selangor," she said

Wan Azizah brought attention to the "unclean" electoral roll which was said to contain names of deceased voters, names that appeared several times as well as addresses with suspiciously high number of registered voters.

"There were also cases of registered voters who were denied the right to vote because their vote had been taken by other people using their names and identity cards," she claimed.

The Keadilan president also objected to several arbitrary changes in electoral regulations dictated by the EC as polling day approached.. These included the decision to revert the pondok panas (temporary operations booth) prohibition and allow candidates to withdraw within three days of nomination.

She questioned the decision of the EC to note down voter serial numbers on polling slips and to extend polling hours in Selangor without due notification to all parties.

Educating Malaysians

Meanwhile, Hamdan said Suhakam was still looking into the complaints submitted by PAS last week in order to determine how the actions of the EC have violated the people's rights.

"We are doing our best to look at how it has affected people's rights to free and fair elections and we will bring up the matter with the relevant authorities.

"We did ask the EC for a copy of the ethics expected of the people and voting procedures before the election but they did not give it to us. Now, they are saying it is not necessary since the election is over," he said.

Hamdan said Suhakam's ability to address the issue may be limited by the scope of its powers under the Suhakam Act.

"We hope many more people will give us proof which will form the basis of our investigations," he added.

Speaking to reporters later, Wan Azizah said the aim of the party in continuously highlighting this issue was to stress the seriousness of electoral improprieties.

"The government has tried to divert attention from this issue by saying that it is time to get down to work. But these are serious problems and affects the people's rights to a free and fair elections.

"We are also working so that by the next election, more people will be aware of these issues. It will go towards the education of Malaysians," she added.

In another development, Hamdan confirmed that Suhakam will henceforth report to Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, the newly-appointed minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs.

Jurisdiction over the commission was transferred last week to the Prime Minister's Department from the Foreign Ministry.

Hamdan said Suhakam commissioners will be holding their first official meeting with Mohd Radzi on April 12.