Bersih wants heads to roll in EC
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: Polls reform group Bersih wants the resignation of top Election Commission (EC) officials for failing to deal with irregularities in the recent Sarawak elections.
“It is the personal responsibility of each commissioner to search his conscience and see whether he finds the election practices in this country acceptable.
“If he does not, I’m inviting them to resign. I believe they should resign as a show of protest,” Bersih chairman S Ambiga told a press conference here.
Opposition leaders and polls observers claimed irregularities like bribery and intimidation were widespread at the April 16 Sarawak election.
They claimed the EC had failed to curb them and were partial towards the ruling coalition, often overlooking “blatant abuses and violation” of election laws.
Ambiga said Bersih received overwhelming complaints on the alleged discrepancies but yet the EC has failed to act accordingly.
“We’re getting a lot of information and reports, so we are planning to hold a forum on May 20 where we want to invite the EC and highlight these issues,” she said.
Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, said Bersih will not hesitate to cease all dialogues with the EC as a form of protest should it remain apathetic to the complaints.
Contentious issues pertaining to the EC’s operations, such as the lack of training for returning officers and the denial of Sarawakians living in the peninsula to vote were highlighted.
Tool of the ruling coalition
Bersih steering committee member and political analyst Dr Wong Chin Huat, who was barred entry into Sarawak, highlighted three key issues he felt the “West Malaysian-centric” EC had failed to address.
