EC’s No 2 must quit, says Kadir

The former Umno man describes Wan Ahmad as an obvious BN supporter who behaves like a gangster.

PETALING JAYA: Former cabinet minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir today came out in support of a call for the resignation of Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

Abdul Kadir, an Umno veteran who resigned from the party last year, was reacting to an announcement by Wan Ahmad that he was suing PAS Deputy President Mohamad Sabu for alleged defamatory remarks published on Jan 29 in Harakah, the Islamist party’s official organ.

“I give full support to Mat Sabu’s call for Wan Ahmad to resign,” Abdul Kadir told reporters here in reference to remarks quoted in the article, titled “Wan Ahmad cannot be trusted.”

Wan Ahmad alleged yesterday that Mohamad Sabu’s statements were crafted to ruin his credibility and integrity as an EC executive.

Abdul Kadir said he found Wan Ahmad’s public statements to be “too supportive” of Barisan Nasional.

“He is not fit to be deputy chairman of the commission and should disqualify himself from holding any position at all,” he added.

He said EC officials should be neutral and praised the commission’s chairman, Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, for being more careful than Wan Ahmad in his public statements.

“He is more guarded and careful. Wan Ahmad, on the other hand is like a gangster. He should just resign and contest for BN.”

He said Wan Ahmad liked to use “rough words, rough tones” and “is very obviously a BN supporter.

“You can see this in news reports that are made available to the world. Now the whole world will take notice that our EC is not clean and fair.

“Therefore I reiterate my support for Mat Sabu’s call for Wan Ahmad to step down as EC deputy chairman.”