Going back to the polls?

t just might be that what Malaysians need to do is to go back to the polls.

COMMENT

More Malaysian voters who have begun to weigh heavily towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR) are absolutely devastated that it is instead Barisan Nasional (BN) that has been installed as the government–of-the-day after the 13th GE.

Saying and describing that the majority of voters, as the popular votes were in favour of Pakatan, were “devastated” is to put it mildly as tens of thousands of Pakatan supporters are gathering at mass rallies to protest against the outcome of the 13th GE.

While Pakatan has stopped short of organising mass rallies and to take to the streets in the form of mass demonstrations, their leaders have nevertheless gone to the ground to get the rakyat to nullify the results of the recently-concluded general election.

Going by the huge turnouts at these rallies, with Pakatan claiming that they have been robbed of victory by the Election Commission (EC) and BN partnering to ensure victory for the latter, Malaysians of all walks of life, including non-voters are beginning to realize that all is not well in the political arena.

By and large, it might be that the best solution would be to call for fresh general election, only this time round with major changes being made in how the election proper is conducted.

Change the electoral system

If more and more Malaysians are of the view and believe that there were the tampering of votes and other possible irregularities, they have every right to believe so because there is no smoke without fire.

For them to believe that all was not well at the 13th GE is really to smell a single rat somewhere and this is enough to suspect that the whole and entire process of the 13th GE was conducted in a dubious manner which creates distrust and suspicion among voters and Malaysians.

While Pakatan leaders going to the ground to argue their case before the people is a fair and good idea, the opposition coalition probably needs to ask Malaysians to agree to go to the polls again, only this time round with major changes to the electoral system.

It is really the electoral system that has failed us Malaysians. Therefore there is a need for all the political stakeholders in this country to come together and agree to conduct free and fair polls by a reformed EC.

Only by ensuring that the EC undergoes great structural changes and conforms wholly and totally to the tenets and obligations of parliamentary democracy, can Malaysians be assured that democracy is in place in this country.

This means the results of the 13th GE must be declared null and void before the two sides of the political divide sit down to discuss terms and conditions of a free and fair polls to be undertaken by an EC that is approved by both sides of the political divide.

As it stands, it looks as if Pakatan is totally unhappy with the way the present EC has conducted the 13th GE as they have more and more questions highlighting irregularities and have grave doubts cast over whether the general election was free of interference and manipulation.

Time for free and fair polls

But Pakatan also needs to value and treasure the votes that have swung in their favour and also go to the ground to try and seek a fresh general election on grounds that the EC and BN failed to comply with the rules and regulations of the election procedures and hence there were irregularities.

These irregularities are enough grounds to seek a fresh and new general election and since the majority of votes belong to Pakatan, it does not take a genius to figure out how Pakatan would have fared in a free and fair election.

There are reasonable grounds and even beyond reasonable doubt to believe that the 13th GE was not conducted in a free and fair manner as any iota of doubt is enough to cast doubts and aspersions on the end result of the elections.

The fact that there is so much information flowing through social media of irregularities in the 13th GE, in all fairness and in equity, both sides of the political divide must go to the ground to call for a free and fair election that is once and for all beyond dispute and doubt.

Only then will the cause of parliamentary democracy be served in full, and the rightful victors of the (new) 13th GE will then be allowed to helm the country to the wishes and aspirations of the majority.

Let the popular votes, those with the majority votes govern the nation for better or for worse.

Christopher Fernandez is a social critic and commentator.