YOURSAY | 'This action to deprive them of their pensions is a good starting ground.'

Tribunal for ex-EC members not academic, AG says

Kim Quek: I agree wholeheartedly with attorney-general (AG) Tommy Thomas. In fact, if criminal offences are established, these former Election Commission (EC) commissioners should be charged accordingly.

The EC is entrusted under the Federal Constitution to conduct impartial elections, which is the cornerstone of our democracy.

Hence, any fraudulent act committed by the commissioners would be deemed as high treason and should be severely punished. And such punishment would act as a deterrent against similar future offences.

The current tribunal would, therefore, contribute powerfully towards restoring the integrity of our tattered electoral system and set a high standard for future commissioners to follow.

Congrats to the AG for initiating this move.

Seladang: Previous EC chairperson Mohd Hashim Abdullah and the six EC members must be held responsible for the breach of their fiduciary responsibility to conduct a fair, equitable and proportionate electoral delineation of electoral boundaries according to the population distribution.

These EC commissioners had perverted GE14 and skewed the electoral boundaries to favour the Umno-BN kleptocrats.

Tribunal chairperson Steve Shim, a previous judge, must be sacked for making a mockery of the 13 indiscretions of the commissioners.

This criminal act of thwarting GE14 is high treason and they must be shamed and incarcerated to demonstrate that the Pakatan Harapan government is not condescending to their reneging the trust the citizens had placed on these deliberate cabal of usurpers.

Darmakochi: Very clear explanation by the AG. Just by resigning does not mean you can go scot-free from what you were doing when you were holding a certain government position during a certain period of time.

If it is like that, then a lot of government servants holding powerful positions can just resign if some investigations are started against them for abusing their positions. And you still expect to be paid pension!

Durian: All these six are not ashamed prior to GE to collaborate with MO1 (Malaysian Official 1) to steal the election, thus violating the ethical codes expected of them by the king. This is equivalent to treason.

I am shocked by the tribunal chairperson not being aware of the seriousness of the crimes. Hence the decision of the chairperson treating the case as academic is biased from the very beginning. He should recuse and let somebody else take over this important role.

Abd.Karim: We should be careful who we pick to be in the tribunal.

It is alarming if they see the proceedings of this tribunal as merely academic when our democratic system could have been derailed by irresponsible officers managing the elections.

The objective of the tribunal is to be able to establish facts so that people who are appointed to such a post to conduct elections would act more responsibly in the future. We hope the members of the tribunal know that.

Ex-Wfw: This action to deprive them of their pensions is a good starting ground. Many civil servants thought they could do anything they like and could be saved by resigning.

Choke off their pensions and see the reaction, although many would have had lined their nests with enough money for the next few generations. Such a tribunal will at least make them ashamed of their crimes.

JBond: It depends on the purpose or scope of the tribunal. If it is formed for the sole purpose of determining whether the members have breached their duties and hence be removed, then it is academic since they have all resigned.

But if it is formed to investigate or probe their wrongdoings and recommend actions appropriate for their treasonous acts, then AG Tommy Thomas is right.

Anomymous_1e23ccf0: The AG is wise whereas the other supposedly learned judges and lawyers are being superficial in their theorising that these commissioners can, by resigning, not be held accountable for their treasonous acts.

This is almost like saying a thief can return what he or she stole and walk away without sanctions imposed for the crime he or she committed.

Mission Accomplished: Crooks will always resort to crooked means to get off the hook, as shown by these rogue commissioners. No stone should be left unturned to rope in these undesirables to answer for their misdeeds.

If you do the crime you must do the time, how appropriate this is applicable to these unprincipled men. What a difference the new AG has made... the judiciary is finally moving on the right track.

Roger 5201: A crime against Malaysia is a crime against Malaysians, whether the culprit has resigned or not.

A clear message must be sent by the tribunal that the EC has a responsibility to exercise its duty in an objective, free and independent manner in the best interest of Malaysians.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Well said, AG. These six have to be probed for conspiring to cheat the rakyat.

If found guilty, nothing less than a custodial sentence - a hefty fine and their pensions as well all the monies they acquired must be forfeited and returned to the rakyat.

They were equal to the rank of High Court judges and the punishment must commensurate with their status.

Wg321: It is very unfair that the AG is practising favouritism. Why is the previous EC chief Hashim Abdullah not charged together with the six ex-EC commissioners?

If this is not favouritism, what do you call it?

Anonymos: Yes, make them return their salaries, deny them of pensions and serve jail time. Also, check their assets inside and outside the country. If found to be illicit, confiscate them.

Yoursay: Conflicting tribunal views do not equal 'constitutional crisis'

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