After the win, PAS seeks palace intervention

 

  

Mohsin Abdullah, Fz.com 

AT THE HEIGHT of campaigning for the just concluded Sungai Limau by election, PAS had "revealed" numerous "malpractices" and "abuses" allegedly carried out by the Barisan Nasional in wooing voters.

 

Now that PAS has won, what has become of the allegations? Is PAS keeping mum and "let by gone be by gone "with victory in the bag?

 

"It will definitely be pursued, in parliamentary debate, Bersih election reform, and even though the courts although we don't put too much hope in the latter", said Dr Hatta Ramli, PAS elections director. 

 

His colleague, PAS strategist Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad had this to add: It would be important to get the PAC involved as abuses of public funds must seek for accountability. No better place than parliament. This money was never budgeted for. So how did they manage to spend?

 

Off budget or off balance sheet spending again. For Sungai Limau, allocated RM15 million. That's abuse of public fund".

 

Hard words indeed. And that's not all. On the eve of polling, PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man issued a statement hitting out at the Election Commission (EC) and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for being "dead wood" in "allowing widespread corruption in Sungai Limau."    

 

Tuan Man alleged that handouts in cash and in kind were handed out "openly by government leaders as well as the usage of almost the entire government machinery" - adding on sarcastically, "except for the Meteorological Department which was not seen". 

 

"MACC which is supposed to be an anti-corruption agency and the police stood still and became observers", said Tuan Ibrahim, going on to say: "We keep hearing stupid excuses like the handouts were not given by the calon or wakil calon so it is not rasuah". 

 

According to Hatta the "abuses" have been highlighted and "the authorities including the EC are in the know and the rakyat have been informed'.

 

But said Dzulkefly, "Umno callous disregard for the law, yet the EC continue to do nothing, as the custodian for a free and fair election".

 

So what now? 

 

"The Kedah PAS youth have lodged a report with the EC, wanting his highness the Sultan to intervene on abuses of state machineries", replied Dzulkefly.

 

That apart said Dzulkefly, they also want the EC to "come in strong in engaging state agencies on abuses and corrupt practices in the course of the campaign period".

 

This they have done before. Without success. At least from PAS or Pakatan Rakyat view point. Will it be different this time?

 

"That much we can do", said Hatta while Dzulkefly said "Let the NGOs also come strong to protest on such abuses because this sustain dysfunctional democracy that works against the choice and wishes of the people".

 

However to Tuan Ibrahim, "this culture of misuse and abuse of government machinery for BN campaign will only stop when the rakyat do not support such abuses".

 

Bear in mind his remarks were made on the eve of the Sungai Limau polling - thus he had also called for the people of Sungai Limau to "reject the BN candidate as a strong signal that they do not condone corrupt practices".

 

Can the PAS victory in Sungai Limau be seen as that "strong signal", Tuan Ibrahim was talking about?