Electoral watchdog wants PM's aide to clarify Bagan Datuk claims

Electoral reform watchdog Tindak Malaysia has called on defeated Bagan Datuk candidate Shamsul Iskandar Akin to clarify claims that he was instructed not to pursue a recount in the 2022 general elections for political expediency.

In a recent podcast, Shamsul (above), now an aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, claimed that he did not challenge the results of the Bagan Datuk contest because of the “bigger picture” despite Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s wafer-thin majority of 348 votes.

“As an organisation dedicated to electoral reform, we are deeply concerned by these claims and their ramifications in potentially undermining the faith in the election process. 

“The right to call for a recount is well within the discretion of a candidate regardless of any consideration from the political party.

“As one of the candidates for the parliamentary seat of Bagan Datuk, it is unacceptable to simply disregard the trust of the voters who cast their ballot for him by saying he had not acted fully within his right as a candidate in the election regardless of the political consideration he was facing,” said Tindak director Danesh Prakash Chacko in a statement today.

He said that these claims would justifiably evoke serious concerns about our election integrity, especially when the seat was one of the hotly contested seats during the last general election.

Chacko added that failure to address the claims properly may further contribute to the erosion of trust towards the election process and political fatigue among the general public.

“The winning majority of Zahid was 348, while the rejected vote count was 748. Any objections that are well within an election candidate’s rights should have been raised with the Election Commission.

“Our electoral laws protect the rights of the election candidate, which includes regulation for the recount of votes, it is specifically stated under Regulation 25 (13) of the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981, which allows the candidate or his agent to call for a recount if the difference between the number of votes by electors for the leading candidate and the number of votes by electors for the next leading candidate is four per centum or less of the total number of votes by electors,” said Chacko.

‘Following orders’

Shamsul claimed that after receiving assurance that Pakatan Harapan and BN were forming a government together, he followed the “general’s orders”.

His revelations have drawn brickbats from PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh, who called the remarks “inappropriate”, while Umno lawmaker Azalina Othman Said told Shamsul to respect the democratic process and avoid making statements that could fuel negative speculation.

Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria also claimed the disclosure suggested “betrayal, manipulation, and the death of democracy” in Bagan Datuk.

Zahid won Bagan Datuk with 16,578 votes against Shamsul (16,230), Faiz Na’aman of Bersatu (8,822), and Tawfik Ismail (226). 

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