Bersih 2.0: Immediate reforms need to take place in GE14

KUCHING: The Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee believes that the Election Commission ( EC) should use the 14th general election (GE14) as an opportunity to rectify the polling boundaries, using a clean and accurate electoral roll.

In a statement issued yesterday, Bersih 2.0 stressed that ‘fair and genuine political representation in the election system is long overdue’.

“May we remind EC that there are also issues of mal-apportionment and gerrymandering in the old/ present boundaries, which have resulted in unfair advantages for certain political parties in the last elections,” said the committee, in response to EC chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hashim Abdullah’s comment that the old boundaries might be used for GE14 in an exclusive interview with Oriental Daily and carried by The Borneo Post on its Monday issue.

According to Bersih 2.0, the EC chairman had mentioned that he would not meet the committee, which he regarded as a ‘ nonregistered non- governmental organisation’ ( NGO).

“We want to remind the EC that in 2012, the court affirmed that Bersih2.0 was a legal entity consisting of endorsing NGOs.

“Bersih 2.0 is still willing to hold a meeting with the EC, the agenda of which will not be just about the delineation process. We are of the view that if EC wants to run a free and fair election during GE14, immediate reforms need to take place.

“We have listed on our memorandum to the EC these following reforms – strengthen the independence of the EC; end political corruption; establish automatic voter’s registration; clean electoral roll; reform absentee voting; election observation; fair election boundaries, the minimum 21- day campaign period, as well as free and fair access to media,” Bersih 2.0 said.