KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — Electoral watchdog Bersih has called on the government to urgently reform the appointment process for the Election Commission (EC), especially that of the chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh who is due to retire in May.
The group said implementing reforms now is crucial, since the next chairman of the EC is likely to have the responsibility of reviewing and implementing the redelineation of electoral boundaries.
“EC members should be appointed through a transparent, open, accountable, and inclusive mechanism to gain the trust of all stakeholders in ensuring the independence and autonomy of the EC, which has a constitutional responsibility to conduct elections and constituency delineation,” it said in a statement here.
It also pointed out that the EC still has one vacancy for a member, namely the EC member from Sabah.
Bersih said that there was some urgency in bringing it up for discussion in Parliament now, with two more days into the sitting.
“This week marks the final week of the current parliamentary session, and Bersih has yet to see any progress regarding the electoral reform agenda that the government has attempted to put forward, except for the presentation of the Parliamentary Services Act to grant autonomy to the Parliament institution, expected to be tabled next July.
“The electoral reform agenda to strengthen the independence of the EC and empower the electoral system in Malaysia has still not been seriously addressed by the Madani Government and until now, government has not announced any plan or intention for electoral reform,” they said, adding that both the PH and BN such reforms in their election manifestos.
Bersih has previously suggested that the appointment mechanism for EC members should go through the Parliamentary Standing Committee so that the process can be scrutinised by both the government and opposition MPs.
In addition to reforming the appointment of EC members, Bersih also wants to question the government’s actions in implementing new methods for absentee voters, especially for out-of-state and out-of-region voters, such as those in Sabah and Sarawak who work and study in Peninsular Malaysia.
“This is crucial as the state elections in Sabah are scheduled next year, and the EC needs to be prepared for these elections and facilitate voters from outside the area to return to vote in Sabah.
“Bersih suggests that these voters be allowed to vote early at their respective areas of work/study with the EC setting up a mega polling centre in each state on the Peninsula, and the votes are counted at these centres on the counting day,” they said.
Bersih also wanted the government to strengthen the Election Offences Act to make it more effective, especially in empowering the EC to enforce appropriate laws.
“The current act is outdated and has not been updated for a long time. Furthermore, there is still no provision to regulate the use of government resources and machinery during elections, as well as the need for auditing election expenses by election candidates and political parties. This act needs to be reformed to remain relevant and make the campaign process cleaner and fairer,” they said.
