Polls watchdog 'not surprised' by cabinet interference

Election watchdog Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel) is not surprised over the claim that the cabinet had rejected the Election Commission’s (EC) plan to use indelible ink in the recent polls.

Mafrel acting head Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said that the EC did not have much of a choice because it is responsible and accountable to the Executive.

“How can you not follow ‘advice’ from the government when the inspector-general of police (IGP) and attorney-general (AG) are the ones making the announcement? Obviously there was interference with the EC’s powers,” said Syed Ibrahim, when contacted.

AG Abdul Gani Patail and IGP Musa Hassan had attended a press conference called by EC head Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman on March 4 - four days before the 12th general election - to announce the shock reversal of the decision to use indelible ink.

Abdul Rashid cited public order and security issues in the wake of police reports that certain quarters had smuggled in indelible ink with the intention of creating confusion and suspicion on the status of voters.

Two days ago, however, Abdul Rashid revealed at a seminar that the cabinet had rejected the EC’s proposed law on use of indelible ink on Feb 13, the day Parliament was dissolved.

In an immediate response, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the scrapping of the proposal was a cabinet suggestion to EC, and not a directive.

Commenting on this, Syed Ibrahim said: “Now we know the EC is responsible and accountable to the executive, and not truly independent as it should be. The EC must be answerable only to Parliament.

“If the government wants to give advice, it should be done in the presence of representatives from opposition parties as well.”

However, he gave credit to Abdul Rashid for finally coming clean on the real reason for the change of decision.

Abdul Rashid had also told seminar participants that he had been instructed to take full responsibility for the reversal of the decision.