How can you know polls handout intentions, says C4

The Act says that any action of giving out money (during the campaign period) is bribery, he said. “Whether the intention is good or not, when it comes to the campaigning period, I think the intention is obvious”

(FMT) – The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) has questioned how anyone could know the intentions behind cash handouts by political parties during election campaigns.

C4’s acting CEO Pushpan Murugiah said the group could not accept an explanation by Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin that the handouts were acceptable if done with good intentions.

“We cannot accept that argument from Hamzah,” he told FMT. “How are we to know their real intention?”

Hamzah had also said that in some cases, voters themselves asked for cash from election candidates.

Pushpan contended that “any act of giving out cash during an election campaign is a form of bribery and is unacceptable”.

He called for stricter enforcement of the law on election offences in future, and long-term plans such as introducing a Political Financing Act to control donations to political parties.

Election expenses by political parties should be monitored so that incidents of vote buying can be minimised or eliminated.

Former Election Commission deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said if cash was given “with good intentions”, there would be no need to have an Election Offenses Act in the first place.

He said Section 10 of the Act prohibits parties, their agents, and agents of candidates from giving out cash during the campaign period and on polling day itself as those acts are done to entice voters to pick a particular candidate.

The Act says that any action of giving out money (during the campaign period) is bribery, he said. “Whether the intention is good or not, when it comes to the campaigning period, I think the intention is obvious,” he added.

Hamzah’s statement was made in defence of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who has come under fire for saying cash given to voters during the recent general election amounted to alms (sedekah). He contended it was not against the election rules.

Terengganu Umno has filed an election petition to nullify Hadi’s election in Marang, as well as PAS’ victories in Kuala Terengganu and Kemaman for alleged bribery.