Jalan Bagan Luar DAP branch ex-head G Asoghan wants to know why Ambiga had been in switch off mode from the start on DAP electoral process that was marred by irregularities.
BUTTERWORTH: A former DAP branch chairman has raised suspicion on why vocal election watchdog, Bersih and its leader S Ambiga had been strangely muted on the DAP polls fiasco.
Jalan Bagan Luar DAP branch ex-head G Asoghan wants to know why Ambiga had been in switch off mode from the start on DAP electoral process that was marred by irregularities.
He asked whether Ambiga had any conflict of interest that prevented her from rebuking the DAP leadership for failing to conduct a free and fair party election in Penang on Dec 15, 2012.
He said Ambiga had recently claimed that Bersih had an army of supporters demanding for free and fair elections in the country.
Hence, he said Ambiga should by now had commissioned a Bersih team to investigate the party members’ allegations of irregularities in the DAP electoral process last year for positions in party central executive committee (CEC).
He pointed out Bersih was supposedly a neutral organisation championing a free and fair polls.
“As its leader, why Ambiga, a torch-bearer of democracy in the country, has been strangely quiet on DAP election fiasco last year that breached all democratic principles?” asked Asoghan at a press conference here yesterday.
He also expressed shock over Ambiga’s muteness even on current undemocratic happenings in the DAP, in which party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had been accused of rushing to hold an internal re-election on Sept 29 without adhering to the party constitution.
Firstly, Asoghan said the re-election should not be held in a special congress, pointing out that such congress shall be held only to address and resolve an urgent arising matter, such as a resolution or constitutional amendment.
He also questioned on legitimacy of special congress given the invalidity of CEC, the party highest decision-making body, since the Registrar of Societies (ROS) did not recognise last year’s party election.
“The party is holding a special congress under whose authority? Did ROS sanction it?” asked Asoghan.
He claimed that a re-election should be held as a separate event by itself after being sanctioned by the ROS, and the party branches should be issued a 10 to 12-week notice to make fresh nomination of candidates for the re-election.
He also said the event shall just be a balloting process to elect new CEC members, thus shall not have speeches by party national chairman and secretary-general as stipulated in the notice of special congress.
“There is no CEC. So there is no chairman and secretary-general until after the CEC polls. This is just fresh polls,” stressed Asoghan.
Public duty
Public duty
He accused Guan Eng, also the Penang Chief Minister, of sidestepping the democratic rights of party members by not observing all these constitutional provisions.
Turning his gun on Ambiga, Asoghan asked if the Bersih co-chairman feared backlash from he party if she questioned the integrity of DAP polls and blatant violation of democratic rights of party members.
Asoghan wants Ambiga to execute her role effectively as an election watchdog by ensuring that the DAP observed all democratic norms to conduct a free, fair and transparent re-election.
“She has to execute her public duty with full responsibility for betterment of the party, members and lay public as well,” stressed Asoghan.
Asoghan was sacked from the party on April 23 after he filed his nomination papers to contest as an independent candidate in Bagan Dalam state constituency in May general election.
But he received a notice dated Sept 4 and signed by Guan Eng to attend a DAP special congress as a legitimate delegate and take part in the party re-election.
He had filed a writ of summons on June 3 against the DAP to reinstate him as party member. The case would be heard this Tuesday.
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