GE 14 | DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has lashed out at the Election Commission (EC), saying the EC's latest directive was to assist BN in winning the coming general election (GE14).

Lim said the directive also appeared to target Pakatan Harapan chairperson and prime minister candidate Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"It's an effort by the Election Commission to help BN steal the election. It is not fair, don't let them do it," Lim said at a press conference in Komtar today.

He accused the EC of being inconsistent, as he queried why the caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, and menteri besar (MB) candidates, were permitted to use their images in posters.

"If the MB candidates can use their posters, why not our PM candidate?" he asked.

Lim added that when Parliament was dissolved on April 7, there were no more chief ministers, menteri besars or prime minister, as they became caretaker government representatives.

"We will keep pressuring the EC to be fair, and to urge international observers to influence the EC to be fair, (and) not to stack the odds against us (Harapan)," he said.

"A loaded dice (EC) is no dice, it is no different from cheating to steal the polls. They should not behave in such an irresponsible manner," Lim added.

Separately, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution reminded that the EC’s role, as stipulated by the Federal Constitution, was only in three areas - to register voters, delineate electoral boundaries and to conduct elections.

“The most unnecessary thing is for the EC to decide whose faces can or can’t be on election posters.

“An election is a celebration of democracy. The people are free to choose and to be chosen and to even decide whose faces should be on the posters they put up.

“Clearly, the people don’t like (BN chairperson) Najib Abdul Razak’s face. The people like (Pakatan Harapan chairperson) Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s and (Harapan de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim’s faces. Let the people decide their tastes; that is not the role of the EC,” Saifuddin said in a statement today.

This was echoed by PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (photo), who labelled the move by the electoral body as "desperate".

"It is a desperate move to forbid the usage of Pakatan Harapan's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad from GE14 campaigning materials.

"It is clear the EC has acted beyond its three main roles and responsibilities as enshrined in the Federal Constitution...," she said in a statement.

Instead of setting "one-sided and nonsensical" conditions, Wan Azizah suggested the EC should focus on ensuring the coming elections are free, fair and clean.

The three were referring to the EC chairperson Mohd Hashim Abdullah's announcement of additional requirements relating to the use of campaign materials in GE14.

According to Mohd Hashim, the directives are to prevent sedition and hostility, in accordance with Section 4A of the Election Offences Act 1954.

The new regulations are:

  • Only pictures of two political party leaders, namely the president (or the equivalent) and deputy president (or the equivalent) (based on the use of the logo/symbol of the political party registered by the candidate during nomination day) can be used on campaign materials;
  • Pictures of other officials of the contesting parties, other than the president (or the equivalent) and the deputy president (or the equivalent) are not permitted;
  • Pictures of both political party leaders can be either combined or placed separately on campaign materials;
  • Only a combination of the pictures of the party’s president (or the equivalent), the deputy president (or the equivalent), the party liaison chairperson (or the equivalent), the menteri besar/chief minister and candidates (based on the use of logo/symbol of political party registered by the candidate during the nomination day) is permitted to be used on campaign materials; and
  • Pictures of individuals holding party positions other than those mentioned above are not permitted.