Thursday May 9, 2013

GE13: Observers - NRD should also shoulder some blame over irregularities in the electoral roll

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and JOSEPH SIPALAN
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam

PUTRAJAYA: Polls observers said the blame for irregularities in the electoral roll and allegations of dubious voters should be directed more at the National Registration Department than the Election Commission.

The EC was taken to task, however, over not having a proper communications unit to relay correct information to the media and the public amid conflicting remarks by its top two officers.

Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said there was a lot of criticism hurled at the EC and some of the shortcomings were its responsibility.

“However, the NRD was more responsible for some of the irregularities, like the cleaning up the electoral roll,” he said after unveiling the interim observation report on GE13 by the CPPS and the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) here yesterday.

Ramon said the EC had been, to an extent, treated unfairly by many parties who questioned the credibility of the election results, particularly over the integrity of the electoral roll used.

He said the EC was duty-bound to register anyone who had a blue MyKad, and it had no power to deal with issues revolving around the validity of an individual's citizenship.

“When the EC sees a blue IC, it means you're eligible to register (as a voter) ... They have no alternative under the law but to register the person,

“The EC, to be fair to them, have been unfairly treated,” he said, claiming that the commission has only one person tasked to deal with communications and it is “terribly inadequate”.

In the run-up to May 5 polls, EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and his deputy Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar had sometimes given conflicting answers as they fended questions and criticisms against it.

Ramon said the results of GE13 remained credible despite some imperfections in the country's electoral system.

“Overall, the results reflect the spirit of the Malaysian voters in returning the mandate to the government with a lower margin,” he said.

Ideas chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who briefed the media on the interim report, said the EC and its appointed officials had largely performed their duties professionally and according to procedures.

He maintained that the report's findings that the polls were “partially free and unfair” were based on various factors, such as uneven constituency delineation and media bias, but did not see a reason to question the validity of the overall results.

“If we start questioning the credibility (of the polls results), if I start saying no, it is not credible', then where do we go from here?

“I think it is the best result we can get, bearing in mind all the challenges we're facing,” he said.

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Thursday May 9, 2013

GE13: Observers - NRD should also shoulder some blame over irregularities in the electoral roll

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and JOSEPH SIPALAN newsdesk@thestar.com.my

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and JOSEPH SIPALAN
newsdesk@thestar.com.my