‘Act against election offences’
Bersih 2.0 also calls for immediate resignation of all seven EC members
PETALING JAYA: Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 calls for action to be taken in election misconduct cases within the next 100 days, including the immediate resignation of all seven Election Commission (EC) members.
Should the commissioners refuse to resign, the group said, a process for their removal must be immediately initiated.
Bersih 2.0 condemns the EC for “its complicity in the attempts to obstruct democracy and the people’s right to vote”. The electoral reform group demanded that the seven commissioners and some of its election officers be charged with violations against election laws.
“Special task forces must be set up within the police and AttorneyGeneral’s Chambers to ensure this is accomplished,” the group said at a press conference yesterday.
It said a Royal Commission of Inquiry must be set up to look into electoral reforms, adding that it would issue a comprehensive report on the GE14 as well as recommendations for such electoral reforms in the coming weeks.
The group also said Pakatan Harapan in their manifesto had pledged to place the EC under Parliamentary monitoring and that appointment of its members would be subject to an approval process by the Parliament.
“All these (reforms) will take time. We cannot delay any further because we may not have five years.
“The Sarawak state elections would actually take place within three years, so we want these reforms in place as soon as possi- ble,” said Bersih outreach officer Chan Tsu Chong.
Bersih 2.0 said there were 278 cases of election offences on polling day, adding that the findings in the preliminary post-election report it issued yesterday was based on over 1,000 complaints made.
The group said there were 11 types of election offences that took place on polling day, which included vote buying, voters unknowingly registered as postal voters, ballot boxes for parliamentary and state seats being incorrectly labelled and Forms 13 and 14 not correctly completed.
Bersih 2.0, however, acknowledged that there were certain improvements compared to the previous general election, as campaign booths were not allowed to be set up outside polling stations and there were no complaints received on the indelible ink.
The group said any further reports of election misconduct can be submitted to Bersih 2.0 online at aduan.pemantau.org, via WhatsApp at 011-17721546 or by phone 03-7931 4444.
All these (reforms) will take time. We cannot delay any further because we may not have five years. Chan Tsu Chong