EC fixes April 7 by-elections amid mixed reactions – Updated
By Neville Spykerman and Shannon Teoh (The Malaysian Insider)
The Election Commission today fixed nomination day for the vacant Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and Bukit Selambau state seat simultaneously for March 29. If there is a contest, voting will be held nine days later on April 7.
Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the decision to hold simultanenous by-elections was to save costs and reduce different campaign periods, adding a lengthy campaign period could risk public order and safety.
He was quick to deny the scheduled dates were made to accommodate the Umno party polls in late March, saying the law required the by-elections to be held within 60 days of the seats being vacant, which falls on April 11.
"The date was chosen for the convenience and comfort of all parties and not with any political considerations," said Abdul Aziz, who assumed the post six weeks ago.
He said the situation in Perak was still tense after a government switch and the time-frame for the Bukit Gantang by-election would allow all parties to "cool off", adding he was hopeful there would be a high voter turnout despite polling day being a Tuesday.
"Past experience has shown that holding the poll on a weekend did not guarantee a high turnout and we took this in consideration when scheduling polling day," Abdul Aziz added.
The Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak fell vacant when Pas MP Roslan Shaharum died on Feb 9, coincidentally the same day Bukit Selambau in Kedah also became vacant when PKR state assemblyman V. Arumugam resigned.
Abdul Aziz said the commission had accepted Arumugam's resignation letter dated Feb 8 after some deliberations. The Election Commission had earlier rejected resignation letters from Behrang and Changkat Jering state seats in Perak as the assemblymen concerned disputed the letters, saying it was pre-signed under duress. That decision led to the downfall of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak.
The nomination and counting centre for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election will be at the Taiping Municipal Council hall while the Bukit Selambau state election will be at Sekolah Menengah Teknik (1) Sungai Petani.
Meanwhile, Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said a scandal-ridden Najib as Umno president would work to Pakatan Rakyat's advantage in both by-elections.
"Under normal circumstances, a new leader would be to Umno's advantage but in this case, because of the scandals connected to him and what he has done in Perak, it will be to our advantage," Ngeh said, referring to Najib's role in unseating the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak.
He was also hinting to persistent speculation linking Najib to abuse of power in the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shariibuu and the billion-ringgit defence purchases.
"There have been so many allegations but he has not allowed any inquiry into them. So he has not cleared his name and it will be to his detriment," Ngeh said.
The senior state executive councillor in the Perak Pakatan Rakyat government expressed confidence that Najib's links to the scandals and what the coalition perceives as a coup d'etat in Perak will be to Barisan Nasional's detriment in both by-elections.
But DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang slammed the Election Commission for setting the date of the by-elections, saying it’s "another example of its craven subservience to serve Umno interests".
"Clearly, the fractious and internecine Umno party elections until March 28 had been the primary consideration of the Election Commission when deciding on the two by-election dates," he said in a statement, pointing out it will be held after the Umno party elections and Najib officially taking over Umno and becoming prime minister.
"But these are the very considerations which an independent and self-respecting Election Commission has no business to take into account when fixing election dates, as it has only reinforced strong public perceptions that the Election Commission is a mere Umno creature at the beck and call of the top Umno leadership," the Ipoh Timur MP said.
He also charged that in the six weeks of being the new Election Commission chairman, Abdul Aziz made two decisions that have undermined public confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of the commission by rejecting the Perak state speaker's decision on accepting the resignation of two lawmakers and by deciding the by-election dates for Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.
"The Election Commission should reconsider to fix earlier by-election dates to demonstrate that it is not beholden to any political party's dictates — even coming from Umno!" Lim declared.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar also agreed that the dates set were due to interference by Barisan Nasional.
“It is set conveniently after the Umno general assembly as Barisan Nasional will not win either seat and will save Najib the embarrassment at the assembly,” he Kamaruddin said.
He pointed out it was also a tactical ploy to allow the anger in Perak over the takeover of the state government to cool off apart from presenting a new face as Umno and Barisan Nasional chief as a way for Najib to prove himself.
But Kamaruddin believed the by-election delay will in fact be to the ruling coaliton’s disadvantage as “the political situation and economy will not get any better in that time”.
