TELUK INTAN, May 28 — Polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 accused today the Election Commission (EC) of being in breach of the electoral conduct it is supposed to uphold when it defended the home minister’s remarks concerning the secrecy of a ballot in the heated Teluk Intan campaign.

According to the group, the EC had aided Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in intimidating voters to cast their support for the coalition in the upcoming by-election.

Additionally, the group claimed EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof was also in breach of electoral conduct when he made excuses for the minister in the public storm that followed the latter’s remarks.

“The monitoring and enforcement authorities, being well under the ruling party’s control, are not heeding the call of the people to do their duty,” Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon, the group’s North Peninsula vice-chairman, told  reporters here.

“The greatest culprit of them all, the EC, has so far reduced its role to a mere spectator when such crimes are committed in broad daylight,” Toh added.

In the run-up to the May 31 by-election, Zahid had last week claimed to know the identities of Rela officers in Teluk Intan who failed to cast their ballots in last year’s general election.

According to Bersih, Zahid had committed an offence under Section 5 of the Election Offences Act 1954, which governs the secrecy of votes.

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