YOURSAY | The honourable thing for Suhakam commissioners to do is to resign en bloc.

'Improper, unnecessary' for Suhakam to observe GE14, says EC

Kim Quek: The Election Commission’s (EC) independent observers programme is a sham. Independent and respected observers including our Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) are rejected, while dubious observers including confirmed autocracies are invited.

The absurd ground for rejecting Suhakam is particularly revealing of EC’s dishonourable intent.

Suhukam’s duty is to protect and uphold human rights as enshrined in our constitution. Hence, its scope of coverage encompasses all activities in the country, particularly over notorious transgressor like the EC, which has now become world renowned for its heinous rigging of the electoral roll to “steal” the election, a term coined by the world’s leading media to describe such despicable act.

It is complete nonsense on the part of EC chief Mohd Hashim Abdullah to claim that one government body should not be allowed to observe the activities of another.

If that is the case, then the police and MACC should cease their surveillance over criminals in other government bodies.

Suhakam should not accept Hashim’s such infantile logic and press ahead to play its role in the coming GE14.

Gerard Lourdesamy: The EC must be ignorant. The right to vote is a constitutionally guaranteed right and not one that is given under statute namely the Elections Act 1958.

If it were a statutory right then the government can repeal the Act and elections will be abolished. The right to vote in free and fair elections subject to qualifications is part of the basic structure of the constitution.

This is obvious when parliamentary democracy is a core feature of the constitution. The right to vote is also housed in Article 5 of the constitution which is a fundamental freedom under Part II of the constitution.

Therefore, Suhakam has a right to observe the general elections. Suhakam is not seeking to usurp the role and functions of the EC. If the Agong has entrusted the EC with conducting elections, then His Majesty has entrusted Suhakam with protecting the constitution.

The EC's reluctance to allow Suhakam to monitor the elections and the dubious countries and organisations invited to observe GE14 seriously calls into question the integrity, impartiality and independence of the EC.

Cogito Ergo Sum: As EC chief, you don’t even know the law. As clearly pointed out by @Gerald Lourdesamy, the right to vote does not emanate from an Act of Parliament. It is an inherent one in a democracy.

What an ignoramus EC chair you are. You have been arrogantly putting all sorts of hurdles for the opposition, including last-minute changes to the rules, to trip them up and you have the audacity to ask why you should be supervised?

You should be removed immediately for dereliction of duty and a failure to understand the laws governing your commission.

You have demonstrated to the world by your own statements what you know about elections and what you do not know. Please resign before you are sacked by the rakyat.

Anonymous 2436471476414726: Mohd Hashim, if EC is really transparent and impartial, why don't you invite representatives from more matured democracies and advanced economies as observers.

Only then, EC can claim to be credible. EC inviting representatives from countries such as Timor Leste, Cambodia, Maldives, etc, is laughable. In Malay, it is called ‘melepas batuk di tangga’.

EC doing so must be having something to hide. EC is afraid of proper scrutiny which only representatives from advanced democracies such as UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, France, etc, can provide.

Mohd Hashim, EC under your leadership is turning into a farce, truly without integrity and independence.

Like many other institutions, the EC is complicit in trying to ensure the survival of a kleptocratic government.

In a nutshell, EC is so insecure with its reputation that it shakes in fear to think of another independent body, more so from Malaysia, is around to observe its behaviour.

Ravinder: This is beating around the bush. There is no logic in the argument. There must be things to hide, which the Suhakam might discover and highlight.

Otherwise, why can't a brother/sister organisation (as both are created by law) observe how the other brother/sister is carrying out its job?

Why can't the left hand see what the right hand is doing? The EC is actually losing a golden opportunity to have Suhakam observe and state that the EC had carried out its job in a very fair manner.

Now, the public perception will be that the EC itself has confirmed that its hands are not clean in running the election.

Someonroutthere: Mr EC Chief, even the caretaker PM’s brother Nazir Razak is questioning your decision not to allow Suhakam to monitor the elections.

And why? Because, like him, we do not trust the EC due to its blatant disregard as an independent body of its role to ensure elections are held fairly.

Your actions so far have shown you to be otherwise. Indeed, your actions show disrespect to your appointment by the Agong.

Sans Prejudice: The honourable thing for Suhakam commissioners to do is to resign en bloc as its role to ensure a free and fair GE14 has been deemed “improper” and “unnecessary”.

So EC can do "without any outside interference"? Forget about gate crashing the party. You are not invited to witness the orgy. Your monitors are courting arrests for trespassing.

Third world countries with highly questionable reputation for free and fair elections in their own backyard have instead been invited.

This high-handed action will not endear EC to the hearts and minds of the rakyat, who already see the commission as blatantly and brazenly biased.

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