Perkasa suggests fraud by Pakatan supporters, calls for probe

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 – In a tit-for-tat move, Barisan Nasional-friendly (BN) Perkasa is now suggesting possible fraud by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters and wants the Election Commission (EC) to investigate constituencies where the opposition pact had won with massive majorities.

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali (picture) cited a claim, allegedly made by a PR supporter, that he had managed to vote twice after succesfully washing off the indelible ink from his finger.

“Perkasa is very suspicious of the massive majorities scored by PR candidates in some of the federal seats they won,” he said in a statement here.

“Particularly in the federal seats of Batu Pahat, Bukit Katil, Shah Alam, Sepang, Pokok Sena and 70 other parliamentary seats won by PR.”

Syed Hassan said Perkasa was worried there may be truth in claims that PR’s supporters had been able to vote twice in the just-concluded May 5 polls.

The EC, he said, should investigate the matter and if it were true that many PR supporters had voted twice, then this could have been the reason behind PR’s success in increasing its seat count during the polls.

PR scored 89 federal seat to BN’s 133 seats in Election 2013, snapping up a significant additional seven seats from the ruling pact and succeeding, a second time, to deny it its coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority.

The federal opposition beat BN in the popular vote score when it snapped up 51 per cent to the ruling pact’s 48 per cent – an outcome reminiscent of the tumultuous 1969 elections when BN first lost the popular vote.

But PR leaders have been contesting the results of the election, insisting it had been stolen from them through widespread fraud and cheating allegedly by BN and its agents.

It has also embarked on a series of mammoth rallies nationwide to prove it has the backing of the majority of Malaysia and its leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has also vowed never to surrender until PR claims its rightful place in Putrajaya.

At its 10th rally last night, the pact announced plans to sign up 500,000 volunteers to protest at EC offices nationwide until its members resign in favour of replacements who report directly to parliament.

The coalition also told voters to lodge reports against the EC for using indelible ink that can be washed off immediately after the May 5 general elections, despite claims that it was introduced to prevent possible double voting.

“The people will move to SPR until SPR is dibubarkan (disbanded). Can?” losing PKR candidate Badrul Hisham Shaharin asked thousands who crowded the rally, which was organised by 60 NGOs, referring to the EC by its initials in the Malay language.

In his address to the rally, Anwar rejected the idea of working with the EC and supported calls that the current EC members resign immediately.

“We will never cooperate or work or engage with such a deceitful Election Commission,” the PKR de facto chief said, adding that an “ultimatum” will be issued if they do not resign.

Anwar also urged the public to lodge police reports if they had experienced the alleged premature washing-off of the indelible ink from their fingers on voting day.

He said they should do so from tomorrow onwards up until Monday and send copies of the reports to PR.

“This is to show the power and might of the people. We challenge you according to due process. We also respect the rule of law,” said Anwar.

He said that PR wanted to present a large barrel of the people’s police reports of EC’s alleged fraud in the courtroom.

PR is looking to file election petitions to contest polls’ conduct and results of more than 25 federal seats, a move, which must be done within 21 days from the gazette of the polls results on May 22.