Ambiga: TI-M’s refusal to watch polls disappointing

(The Star) – Bersih 2.0 steering committee co-chairperson Datuk S. Ambiga says Transparency International-Malaysia’s (TI-M) rejection of the Election Commission’s (EC) invitation to monitor the general election is “disappointing”.

She said this was because accredited bodies had the advantage of gaining access into polling stations.

However, she deemed most of the EC’s conditions as “ridiculous”, and urged the commission to review its conditions if it was truly committed to inviting independent bodies to monitor the elections.

In an immediate response, TI-M secretary-general Josie Fernandez said she was “surprised” by Ambiga’s criticism, adding that it was the executive committee’s unanimous decision to reject the offer.

She said this was because some conditions were not agreeable.

“I hope Ambiga realises that for us to take part, we must first address issues such as a limited number of observers permitted in each constituency and limitations such as not being able to speak to the press,” Fernandez said.

She said TI-M also faced financial and human resources constraints and would not be able to deploy the several hundred observers required.

Meanwhile, Ambiga introduced the new election monitoring campaign launched by Bersih 2.0 in partnership with Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections and Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat.

Called the Pemantau Pilihan Raya Rakyat (Pemantau), she said the body hoped to get 10,000 volunteers to serve as observers, adding that they would have to sign a pledge and code of conduct.

“Those who have not adhered to the code of conduct will have their reports devalued,” she said.