Proxy voting: Guan Eng slams EC for helping BN to cheat at GE-13

DAP is shocked at the latest proposal by the EC to implement a proxy voting system that would empower individuals to cast ballots on behalf of other registered voters. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof even said that this was amongst some proposed 30 amendments to election laws in the country that the commission hoped to table in the coming Parliament sitting in March.

Are these and the proxy voting system the newest strategy by EC to assist BN to defend Putrajaya at all costs and win the 13^th General Elections? By revealing as many 30 proposed changes without first discussing with opposition parties indicates that the EC wants to surprise and handicap PR who may not have the time, manpower and resources to cope with the latest changes. How then can EC by trusted as a credible body that is free, fair, neutral and independent in conducting elections?

Without proper consultation and feedback from both the public and PR the latest strategy which may well cripple or even strike a possibly fatal blow to PR general election campaign and hopes of victory. Tan Sri Abdul Aziz’s explanation that the proxy voting system was aimed at enabling those who were unable to be present on polling days to have their votes cast by approved proxies, would be open to abuse and encourage vote-buying. If EC is sincere, why then did EC not sanction Malaysians living overseas to register and vote in our foreign missions?

DAP vehemently opposes and condemns proxy voting which will only open up another avenue of abuse for the well-equipped BN to exploit. Based on BN’s abysmal record of perverting the clean conduct of the electoral process and EC atrocious failure to monitor and ensure compliance, there are serious concerns that proxy voting will only serve to “legitimatise” the practice of employing phantom voters.

When proxy voting is permitted, we can neither be sure that the proxies are genuine or that the voters they purport to represent are genuine. Further, proxy voting can only encourage vote-buying. BN already enjoys overwhelming advantage in 3Ms - Money politics, Media control and misuse of government Machinery. Allowing proxy voting will only add on to BN’s arsenal of weapons against PR to defend Putra Jaya at all costs.

The public has no confidence that PR will ensure that there will be no abuses in the proxy voting system when the EC has systematically rejected complaints of 3Ms, malpractices in postal voting, refusal to allow automatic registration of voters and permitting Malaysians overseas to register and vote. DAP will direct our top party leaders National Vice-Chair YB Tan Kok Wai and DAPSY chief YB Anthony Loke to meet with the EC to register our objections in the strongest possible terms.

DAP leaders are also reminded to be wary and monitor closely the possibility that the EC will conduct a constituency redelinenation exercise under Article 113 of the Federal Constitution. In a possible “gerrymandering” exercise, EC will redraw all parliamentary and state constituencies in favour BN to the detriment of PR. In such a scenario, PR would have lost even before the contest begin because the constituencies would be like a “loaded” dice.

Even though BN has lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament, there is a likelihood that the constituency redelineation exercise would still proceed. EC would argue that such a constituency redelineation exercise is valid under Article 113 and there is a no need for a constitutional amendment as the exercise does not involve an increase in the number of seats, only the boundaries. However PR would vigorously oppose such interpretation to prevent EC from “loading the dice” to favour BN.

Malaysia Chronicle appends below the Mandarin version of Guan Eng's statement. Guan Eng is Penang Chief Minister and the DAP secretary-general

民主行动党秘书长兼巴眼区国会议员林冠英于2011年1月17日在吉隆坡参加民主行动党备战工作营闭幕礼时发表演讲：

选委会最新建议的委任代表投票制（Proxy Voting System）是不是不惜一切代价，协助国阵捍卫布城，赢得第13届全国大选？

民主行动党对于选委会建议实施委任代表投票制，将给予个人权利，代替另一名已注册的选民投票。 选委会主席丹斯里阿都阿兹莫哈末尤索夫甚至说，这是选举法令的30项修订建议的其中一项，选委会希望在三月的国会中提呈。

这些新建议以及委任代表投票制是不是选委会要不惜一切代价，协助国阵捍卫布城，赢得第13届大选？选委会在没有与在野党商量的情况下，就公布30个要修订的建议，他们可能要给民联“惊喜”并趁机阻碍民联，因为民联可能没有足够的时间、人力及物力去适应上述新条例。我们要怎样相信选委会是一个可信任，能够自由、公平、中立、独立地执行选举任务的组织？

选委会在没有咨询公众及民联的情况下推出新措施，这可能将在来届大选严重削弱、打击民联，减低胜利的胜算。虽然丹斯里阿都阿兹解释，委任代表投票制的目的是要让那些无法在投票日出现的选民，委任他们的代表替他们投票，但是这项举措可能被滥用进而鼓吹“买票”。

行动党激烈的反对及谴责委任代表投票制，这只会为万事俱备的国阵打开另一个“滥用机制”的管道。根据国阵无数次玷辱干净公平选举程序的记录，以及选委会无能监控及确保条例被遵守，我们有理由相信，委任代表投票制只会让雇用幽灵选民的做法“合法化”。

一旦委任代表制通过，我们不能确定有关“代表”是真是假？也不能确定他们宣称所代表的选民是真是假？此外，委任代表投票制只会助长买票的歪风。国阵已经“享有”三M便利：金钱政治（Money politics）、控制媒体（Media control）及国家机器（government Machinery）。若允许委任代表投票，有如“为虎添翼”，让国阵不惜一切， 击败民联，保住布城。

当选委会有系统地拒绝针对3M、邮寄选票的不透明作业、拒绝选民自动登记系统及允许国外马来西亚人登记投票等投诉，公众没有信心人，不相信民联能够保证委任代表投票制不会滥用。民主行动党将指示我们的党领袖，副主席陈国伟及社青团团长陆兆福与选委会见面，以表达我们反对上述新措施。

民主行动党领袖也必须小心紧密观察，选委会将会重新划分选区，执行联邦宪法第113条文。有关方面可能会为自党利益改划选举区分， 不公正操纵选区，选委会将重新划分所有国会选区及州选区，让选区变成对国阵有利、对民联不利。在这种选区遭人做手脚的情况下，民联已经未战先败，因为选区好像“加铅的骰子”。

虽然国阵已经在国会失去三分之二的多数议席，但是看来选区还是会重新划分 。选委会可以争辩说划分选区符合宪法113条文，因为选区划分没有增加议席，只有改变选区疆界，而不需要修改宪法。不过，民联将会强烈地反对选委会进行上述诠释，不让他们做手脚、为国阵效劳。

林冠英

courtesy of Malaysia Chronicle