EC attack on separate polls plan shows bias, says DAP

As a neutral body, the Election Commission (EC) should not be criticising plans for states to call polls separate to the general election as their duty is simply to conduct elections, said DAP.

Commenting on the criticism by EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said by doing so, the former is only showing the commission’s bias.

“The EC should focus on their core competency or business of managing the election process professionally in an orderly, free and fair manner,” he said in a statement today.

He added that Sabah and Sarawak, too, have polls separate from the general elections, but the EC has not complained before.

Wan Ahmad had told Bernama that holding separate polls disrupts classes for thousands of schoolchildren as teachers, who make up 80 percent of the workforce needed for an election, would need to be redeployed for the state polls.

‘Is EC questioning police competence?’

He added that an additional RM50 million will be needed to conduct a separate state election in Selangor alone and that public order will be at risk as police will have to be redeployed to maintain security during the different campaign periods.

“Is the EC questioning the competence and professionalism of the police...?” Lim asked.

The Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government plans to hold a separate state election, while Penang and Kedah have yet to make a decision.

Kelantan will hold its polls concurrently with the general elections.

Meanwhile, Lim, who is also Penang chief minister said, that that the EC has yet to reply to his Aug 30 letter authorising it to conduct local government elections in Penang and Seberang Perai municipal councils.

Lim said he sent the letter to remind the EC that the Penang Local Government Elections (Penang Island and Province Wellesley) Enactment 2012 was passed in May and had been gazetted since July 5.

“Instead of doing their constitutional duty by replying to my letter, the EC appears more interested in either defending or being the attacking forces for the BN,” he said.