Thursday May 9, 2013

GE13: Election Commission lashes out at parties unable to accept defeat

PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof has lashed out at certain parties who refused to accept defeat and instead blamed others for their performance in the 13th general election.

He said these parties were intent on looking for a scapegoat and the easiest victim was the EC, and they had heaped various allegations to tarnish its integrity, credibility and efficiency.

As an example, he cited the allegation of a power cut at a counting centre that was widely posted on social media sites, which upon investigation turned out to be baseless.

“They're intent on portraying the EC as a body without integrity and credibility, even capable of disrupting power supply in order to switch results in the dark.

“This is a despicable lie. If Muslims are behind such lies, it looks like they're not afraid of committing such a big sin.

“We have investigated the allegation thoroughly and found that such an incident never occurred,” he said at his office here yesterday.

Saying that perception played an all-important role in politics, Abdul Aziz criticised the statement of a politician who accused the EC of not implementing the suggestions made by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform, despite the 19 changes introduced at the polls on May 5.

He said the changes were clearly in force, such as the use of indelible ink, no objection period, candidates not allowed to withdraw, early voting and many more, but the politician kept reinforcing the negative perception against the EC.

There were also certain parties who went to great lengths to wash off the indelible ink just to create doubts among voters, he said.

Despite all the criticism levelled against the EC, Abdul Aziz said they would still study the issues concerned and improve these aspects in the next general election.

Commenting on allegations of phantom voters, he expressed disappointment that some parties were so carried away they had reportedly tried to prevent locals who looked liked foreigners from voting.

“I was even informed that a few election observers halted in a rough manner two busloads of foreign workers on their way to a factory, causing them to flee for their safety,” he said. - Bernama

More News

News

Thursday May 9, 2013

GE13: Election Com­mission lashes out at parties unable to accept defeat

GE13: Election Commission lashes out at parties unable to accept defeat