Election Commission adamant it wants nothing to do with Bersih People’s Tribunal
V Anbalagan, TMI
There will be no input from the Election Commission (EC) when a report on complaints of election irregularities heard last week is submitted to the Bersih People’s Tribunal’s five-man panel tomorrow.
This despite the offer made by the tribunal’s legal head, Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar, to the commission to do so – after the EC said that although it did not officially attend the five-day tribunal, it had taken note of each and every complaint made.
EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (pic) told The Malaysian Insider that the commission will ignore Gurdial’s request to submit a written report to the panel as the “Bersih People’s Tribunal is not recognised under the law”.
Wan Ahmad also questioned the composition of the five-man panel, two of whom are foreigners.
“They cannot pass judgment although they may be experts in election law in their respective countries,” he said.
He said Bersih could send its report to the EC once the tribunal had made public its findings and recommendations.
To Wan Ahmad, the tribunal was set up only as a political forum to pass judgment on the government.
“As such, we will not give any legitimacy to the tribunal,” he said, adding that the EC was guided by the advice of its experienced legal advisers.
Wan Ahmad was responding to a statement by Gurdial, who said he still hoped to see a written submission by the EC.
A total of 47 people testified and 70 statutory declarations were presented to the panel during the proceedings at a hotel in Subang Jaya last week.
Gurdial, who worked with a team of about 30 lawyers, had submitted two documents on irregularities in the conduct of polls by the EC, expert reports and surveys from political parties and non-governmental organisations.
Also tendered were three studies by experts to determine whether the media played its democratic role in providing balanced information to voters.
The legal team also gave the panel copies of almost all the election petitions filed in court by Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.
