EC appointed active politician as election observer
(TheStar) – Sabah Bersih 2.0 is taking the Election Commission (EC) to task for appointing an active politician as an election observer for the Sandakan polls.
The electoral watchdog questioned if the EC had a policy regarding appointing active politicians as election observers, and if there was a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for vetting applicants.
The Sabah Bersih 2.0 steering committee in a statement Sunday (April 28) pointed out that Datuk Lajim Ukin was seen wearing the EC’s official T-shirt and name tag of a pemerhati (election observer) at the nomination centre in Sandakan on Saturday (April 27).
Lajim was the former president of the now defunct Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (PHRS), and is now part of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in Sabah, which is a coalition partner of Pakatan Harapan, whose component party Sabah DAP is contesting in the by-election.
“This is in keeping with the standard set out in the Declaration of Global Principles for Non-Partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations (Venice Commission).
“The importance of having non-partisan observers for elections cannot be overstated as observers have to evaluate the overall integrity of the election process and their reports can add or diminish legitimacy to the result of elections.
“Can politically-partisan politicians be neutral observers?”, it said.
The committee said if Lajim or any other politicians had indeed been appointed as pemerhati, EC has to explain on what basis were they appointed, or if there was a failure in their SOP to screen applicants.
The committee added that it lauds the openness of EC since the 14th General Election in appointing many local citizen groups and non-governmental organisations, including Bersih 2.0, as part of their pemerhati programme.
But EC must not tarnish the integrity of the programme and undermine the neutrality of the commission by appointing politically-active politicians as election observers, it said.
The Sandakan by-election will see a five-way fight with DAP’s Vivian Wong facing off with PBS’ Datuk Linda Tsen and independents former Sabah PAS and later Sabah Parti Amanah Negara chairman Hamzah Abdullah, businessman Chia Siew Yung, and former political worker Sulaiman Abdul Samat.
Sandakan, with about 40,000 voters, comprised 51% Chinese and 45% Muslim bumiputras, including Bajaus, Suluks and Sungei.
The rest of the electorate made up of Kadazandusun communities and others.
The by-election was triggered after two-term incumbent Datuk Stephen Wong died of a heart attack following a hike on March 28.
In GE14, Stephen won the seat with a 10,098-vote majority.
