The Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel) - a citizens' poll watchdog - has vowed to continue its efforts, despite obstacles being placed in its way, to bring about 'genuine democratic elections' in the country.

"Let us not curse the darkness, it's better to find a candle and light it up," the citizens' election watchdog chairperson, Malek Hussin, told malaysiakini .

Mafrel was refused accreditation by the Election Commission during the recent Pangkalan Pasir by-election in Kelantan and according to Malek, their observers were subjected to police interrogation and harassment.

He said Mafrel had applied for accreditation, as required under the country's election regulations, to observe the crucial phases of the electoral process, including at the levels of voting at polling stations, counting at the polling stations and tabulation of votes at the official tabulation centres.

However, there was no response from the Election Commission - the independent agency tasked to organise elections in Malaysia.

This was in spite that the Election Commission had granted accreditation to Commonwealth observers during the 1990 general elections.

"Why were foreign observers allowed? Under what provisions were they allowed in? And why Mafrel, a domestic citizens' election observer group, was denied accreditation?" the Mafrel chief asked.

He said Mafrel had been allowed to observe elections in other countries such as Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, and that other international groups were welcomed to observe elections in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

156 voters in one house

Malek described the non-recognition of his watchdog group as "sickening".

He said even during the time of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mafrel had been allowed access to polling and counting centres to observe general elections in the country.

"Things had changed for the worst under the present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. I had thought our country would change for the better," he lamented.

The 2004 general elections saw the shortest election campaign since Merdeka, and early this month, the shortest by-election campaign in Pengkalan Pasir.

"In 2004, we saw a terribly chaotic polling process in Selangor, rampant menace of 'phantom voters' in Terengganu, inaccurate electoral rolls from Mafrel's electoral rolls verification through random sampling of the rolls for Selangor, Kelantan and Kuala Lumpur," he said.

"Can you imagine a single address in the constituency of Lembah Pantai (in Kuala Lumpur) having 156 voters registered in it?"

Mafrel has started ground work to observe the various crucial phases of the electoral process in the forthcoming state elections in Sarawak, expected to be held early next year.

Malek hoped that this time the Election Commission would not deny accreditation as it did during the recent Kelantan by-election.