EC: Bersih is Pakatan stooge in bid for Putrajaya
The Election Commission in its most scathing attack on the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) said today the NGO's planned July 9 rally was merely to build momentum for Pakatan Rakyat's bid for Putrajaya.
The Election Commission in its most scathing attack on the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) said today the NGO's planned July 9 rally was merely to build momentum for Pakatan Rakyat's bid for Putrajaya.
This is because the first Bersih rally in 2007 led to the political tsunami of 2008, EC deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told a forum called "Bersih's demands - what is the Election Commission's explanation?" today.
"There was (a 2007) demonstration and as result, a momentum was built and in the 2008 election (the opposition) won big... now, the rumour is that snap polls will be called and history will be repeated.
"(They think) let us have Bersih 2.0 with more supporters, the momentum will grow and possibly win Putrajaya," he told an audience of about 500 people.
Therefore, Wan Ahmad appealed to Bersih chief S Ambiga to disassociate the NGO from political parties, and put this as a condition for further engagement between the commission and the NGO.
"I am appealing to Ambiga to distance yourself from political parties (and) strengthen your agenda.
"If Bersih separates itself from political parties, then we can meet Bersih as a member of civil society as its agenda is for the good of all," Wan Ahmad said.
He said “Bersih today is no longer the Bersih (he) used to know” and that is has become kusut (a mess), so much so that Ambiga did not realise that she was being used as a political tool.
“So many people want to join the bandwagon with so many issues… don’t blame the police, they have a bigger responsibility. Sane people will remove themselves from this group and let the political party go ahead and take the risk (of persecution),” he said.
Responding to one of Bersih’s eight demands - a clean electoral roll - Wan Ahmad said the issue had been “twisted” to confuse the public in order to create anger against the Election Commission.
“It is made to seem that the EC is working hand-in-glove with the (BN) government and this will lead to votes against BN… and it is working very well. Everything that happens in this country has a political agenda.
“Really, political parties will do anything to win the election… because if they do, they can form the government. How nice!” Wan Ahmad added, snidely.
Asked why those who were dead were still on the electoral roll, he said the EC’s system was linked to the National Registration Department (NRD) and those reported dead would automatically be removed from the roll.
“But this is only if the next-of-kin reports the death. In Sabah and Sarawak, lots of people don’t report deaths and you can’t blame them, for many live in the interiors… usually, people only report deaths if they want to claim inheritance,” he said.
This elicited laughter from the enthusiastic audience, who turned the event into a political rally of sorts, cheering questions that were against Bersih, with many yelling out words such as bodoh (stupid) and haram (illegal)” whenever Pakatan Rakyat was mentioned.
Use of indelible ink 'regressive'
On the demand for the use of indelible ink, on which civil society “harassed and put the commission was under pressure” to adopt in 2008, Wan Ahmad said the move was “regressive” as the only countries in the world that use it are the less developed countries of Africa and Indonesia.
“Not everyone wants to have indelible ink on them. This will create problems on voting day. The constitution states that all registered voters must be given a voting slip, so if someone doesn’t want to, then we cannot stop them from voting,” he said.
Therefore, Wan Ahmad added, the Attorney-General’s Chambers advised the Election Commission that federal constitution had to be amended to give the commission the power to place other conditions before giving out the ballot papers.
Security is also an issue, as anyone who can “mark the aunties in villages with indelible ink” without the voters knowing the significance, causing them to be disallowed to vote on voting day.
Security was also the reason for calling off the use of the ink in 2008, as police received reports that the same ink was being smuggled in from Thailand, allegedly for sinister purposes.
The commission announced recently that the biometric system, tied in with the National Registration Department, would be introduced for voting in elections, with voters having to provide their thumb prints and MyKad to cross-check their identity before being given the ballot papers.
The Bersih 2.0 rally will see a march to the Istana Negara on July 9, where the organisers intend to hand over an eight-point memorandum to the King, seeking reforms in the electoral process.
Two counter-rallies by Umno Youth and Perkasa will also be held on the same day.
However, none has received a police permit and to date police have detained only those related to Bersih 2.0.
In an immediate response, Bersih 2.0 chief S Ambiga swatted aside the EC’s accusations, saying that it is the commission that bears the burden of proving it is impartial.
“The EC has to be very careful what they say, because they may accuse me of many things but the constitution requires them to be independent.
“Is what they are saying; does it show they are independent? That’s all, and I ask the public to judge for themselves,” she said.
Additional reporting by Joseph Sipalan
VIDEO | 28.36 mins- Wan Ahmad's PC
VIDEO | 30.56 mins - Wan Ahmad's forum address
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