YOURSAY | ‘If they didn't look guilty before, they sure do now.’

Tenure cut short - EC No 2 and four members to leave on Jan 1

Anonymous 7478653098613829: I hope that these resignations do not mean that they do not need to face the tribunal.

They were appointed and paid to do the job. So if there is any wrongdoing, they should be responsible and need to answer any charges laid against them.

So far, the conduct of the Election Commission (EC) before the GE14 was so blatantly one-sided and racist.

Instead of being a neutral body, the EC seemed to be a branch of the previous ruling regime. To the ridiculous extent that Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s face was not allowed to be shown on election posters.

All too often, these people in power were only too glad to serve the people who appointed them rather than performing their actual job duties.

Since they have chosen to do as such and not resign earlier on, they should be responsible for their actions and should answer to the tribunal for any wrongdoings.

Well Thats Fantastic: If they didn't look guilty before they sure do now. I hope they are made to pay for any abuse of office with more than just their position.

P Pillai: Bolting before the axe falls.

XED: What will the Federal Court say about the former chairperson and the members of the EC resigning before the tribunal can sit?

(This is) in light of the court’s decision not to address the issues raised by the obviously illegal appointment of Md Raus Sharif and Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin beyond their terms of office as chief justice and Court of Appeal president respectively.

Is it merely an academic exercise to have the tribunal continuing with its task? The scoundrels in the EC should be hung, drawn and quartered.

Jasmine: Very interesting development indeed. Too much of a coincidence here.

An official tribunal’s findings and recommendations might have different implications for these men who had let the people down and abused the trust given to them.

Relinquishing their positions now smells of an easy escape. Is someone here too kind and generous to these unscrupulous men?

If so, it’s a typical reflection of our ostrich attitude and being cowards when it comes to being firm and exemplary in meting out punishment to wayward servants of the public.

This is a malignant cultural problem that will help sustain rogue behaviour amongst appointed officials.

Headhunter: A bit late but better than never. They have lots of time to reflect what they did to kill democracy. At the end of the day, it’s the rakyat who showed them the door.

Vijay47: The stain and stink that attended the EC were not something acquired overnight. 

On the contrary, it came with the turf and was part and parcel of the subservience that the body displayed towards its political masters almost throughout its existence. 

Such was their arrogance and confidence that they were beyond condemnation that they acted as though they were appendages of Umno, executing its functions without any heed whatsoever to the guidelines and parameters set by the Federal Constitution.

Establishing a tribunal to review their actions is more than obvious and necessary, and convenient resignation from the commission should not accord anyone exemption from​ ​​​​​​due punishment if that is required. 

That said, one fact that brings a bad taste to the mouth is the affectionate treatment now bestowed on a previous chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman.  

He was as much the cause of the rot within the entire election process and it defies all logic that not only does he seem to have escaped action, he has been actually been appointed head of a council for reform. 

To be worth its salt, the tribunal should also examine Abdul Rashid’s contribution or otherwise towards parliamentary democracy.

EC members to face tribunal soon

Malaysia4All: Yes, make these men answerable for the unspeakable acts that they have done in depriving ordinary Malaysians of a functional democracy.

For a while, they were on a virtual pedestal and felt totally invulnerable, so much so that they did not even bother to answer any of the criticisms levelled at them. It's payback time.

Gerard Lourdesamy: The EC was a disgrace in GE14. What was the criteria used to appoint these commissioners in the first place? Loyalty to Umno and BN? Compared to the Election Commission chief in India, our EC has nothing to shout about.

They used the outdated and obsolete election laws as an excuse to keep silent on the blatant abuses by the former government and the ruling party; they were complicit in the gerrymandering and malapportionment designed to keep Umno-BN in power forever until it took the rakyat a Herculean effort to oust the former regime without resorting to violence; they did not bother to advocate electoral reforms, transparency and accountability to the former government but, worst of all, the commissioners themselves lacked the moral integrity and compunction to stand up for fairness, justice and fair play in the electoral system.

They deserve to be indicted before a tribunal and be dismissed from office. Their greatest betrayal was abusing the public trust and confidence that was placed in them for worthless trinkets like titles, status and benefits from the Umno-BN government.

The worst culprit was the former disgraced EC chairperson Hashim Abdullah. He should be charged by the attorney-general for offences to undermine parliamentary democracy, abuse of power and breach of public trust if not for treason and be stripped of his federal honours and pension.

A Golden Dawn: EC commissioners are the custodians of our democracy.

The new commissioners must act without fear or favour and their tenure guaranteed with a salary high enough for them to be free from outside monetary influence.

They could be selected from prominent professional people and/or the legal profession or be justices of peace (JPs).

And to instil the proper message, the tribunal must expose the wrongdoings of the previous commissioners, too.

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