Poll reforms still a long way off

Putrajaya dragging its feet in implementing recommendations made by the PSC to improve the election system, says Bersih.

KUALA LUMPUR: Poll reform group Bersih 2.0 said that the Najib administration is far from fulfilling its pledges to ensure free and fair elections as demands to improve the election system remain unmet.

The statement was carried in the group’s assessment report on Putrajaya’s progress in implementing the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on poll reform was released to the media in Parliament today.

Group coordinator Wong Chin Huat speaking to reporters claimed the government have been slow to carry out recommendations that could be implemented “immediately”, suggesting the lack of political will on the part of the Najib government to carry out reforms.

He said the Elections Commission may claim that some recommendations have been carried out, like allowing foreign voting and the use of indelible ink, but no legal changes have been made despite the polls nearing.

Bersih 2.0 and the opposition had made it clear that none of the poll reform pledges made by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will be recognised until there is an assurance that all the recommendations are met before national polls are held.

The 13th general election must be held by April next year and thus far Najib has given that demand a muted response.

Wong in reading out the report said promises to clean up the electoral roll, which opposition leaders claim is rife with discrepancies and could tilt the outcome of the elections, have not gained traction.

Campaign to continue

Political analyst Dr Ong Kian Ming who is working on the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) said the EC had recently rejected holding a closed-door talk on the issue after the UCSI University lecturer announced his decision to join opposition party, DAP.

“MERAP finds this response totally unacceptable,” he said at the same press briefing, adding that his decision to join a political party should not invalidate the group’s work on the electoral roll.

Other demands like fair media coverage remain non-existent as Bersih 2.0 continues to be demonised by government-owned mainstream media.

Another Bersih 2.0 coordinator Hishammuddin Rais said the group will continue to campaign for free and fair elections. The coalition had held three mass rallies in the last three years.

Its popularity grew in each rally. This became the major reason behind Najib’s decision to set up the PSC and pledged to reform the election system.

The group said the campaign would continue with a rock concert this Saturday.