‘Reforms include hiring high-ranking officials’

KUALA LUMPUR: Having diverse high-ranking office bearers and ensuring strong political will to bring about changes are among the reforms that will take place in the Election Commission (EC).

Its chairman, Azhar Azizan Harun, said he was looking into potentially hiring high-ranking officers from within and outside the civil service.

He said this was being done to fill in vacancies after four members of EC end their contract on Jan 1 next year.

“I am looking at a mixture. I am looking (to find people) from outside (the EC), academicians and activists who work on the ground and are qualified for the job. They must be law-abiding so that the perception of being partial towards EC will not arise.

“We cannot run away from civil service, there must be a continuation by having them in EC. We need the police, army and the National Registration Department. We need these connections as well.

“I have approached a person whom I cannot name, who is a good activist and academician. I am going to push for his name to be one of the commissioners, probably even my deputy,” he said, hinting that more women would be appointed as the commission’s members.

He said this at the Breakfast Grille radio show on BFM 89.9 radio station yesterday.

Azhar, a laywer, addressed the criticism against him that he was not impartial.

He told the radio show that he had acted as legal counsel in election nomination processes for Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional candidates.

“Why do people not talk about that? Of course, they do not know. Today, they know.

“I have advised candidates from both sides of the fence during the electoral process. The fact that I advise people from both sides shows that I am impartial. I am independent. I follow the law.

“If people know that I have been advising BN (back then), then why would the Pakatan people ask for my advice now if I am not independent?”

He said political will was needed to put in place reforms in the electoral system in the country, particularly in issues such as the proposal to implement an automatic voting system and lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

“I have sat down with EC Election Reform Committee headed by Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. We see eye to eye on this. So I am quite glad and I think we can complement each other.

“If the government had taken steps to form the committee to look into reforms, then I presume there is political will to reform. This is evident in reducing the voting age to 18 from 21.”