DAP leader and election watchdog Bersih committee member Ronnie Liu today denied distributing leaflets in Batu Talam which called on voters to boycott the by-election.

He said he was shocked to find out that such leaflets bearing his name were being distributed in Batu Talam ahead of the polls on Jan 28.

"I like to categorically state that I have nothing to do with the leaflets and I have no intention to call for a boycott for the Batu Talam by-election," he said in a statement today.

According to Liu, he was informed by voters in Batu Talam this morning about the leaflets.

"The leaflets were supposedly issued by me in the so-called capacity of "Setiausaha Koordinator Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya Adila dan Bersih (Bersih coordinating secretary)," he added.

He said he was told that several hundred copies of the leaflets were inserted into newspapers before distribution.

He said that the leaflet was published in Malay, giving seven reasons why the by-election should be boycotted.

Among the reasons cited were that the Election Commission was unfair, the Barisan Nasional candidate Abdul Aziz Kiram was using government machinery in his campaign and that voters should respect the wishes of opposition parties PAS and Parti Rakyat Keadilan to boycott the by-election.

Vote with your conscience

Liu also aid that the leaflets carried the address and contact numbers of the DAP headquarters in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

"I have nothing to do with the leaflets... I am not the coordinating secretary of Bersih. I am just a member of the steering committee of the watchdog. In fact, there is no such position in the coalition."

He added that he was in Raub on nomination day to launch a Bersih campaign seeking electoral reforms.

"Our demands are for the EC to adopt the indelible ink measure to prevent multiple voting, do away with the postal votes except for diplomats and citizens working overseas, and clean up the electoral rolls immediately," he said.

He also urged the Batu Talam voters to vote with their conscience instead of giving up their right to vote.

The straight fight between Abdul Aziz and independent candidate Ng Chee Pang. The by-election is being held following the death of its BN assemblyman Tengku Paris Tengku Razlan on Dec 27.

Opposition parties PAS and Keadilan are boycotting the by-election on the grounds that the electoral laws are flawed.