Despite lowly electoral integrity ranking, Putrajaya says satisfied with EC

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim says foreign bodies are welcome to make their own assessments, referring to the Havard report on Malaysia’s Election Commission. –The Malaysian Insider pic, June 11, 2015.

Despite Malaysia's near-bottom ranking in a recent global electoral integrity report, Putrajaya insisted today that it remains "satisfied" with the performance of Election Commission (EC).

The Electoral Integrity Report by Harvard University recently ranked Malaysia 114th out of 127 countries surveyed, but Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said that the administration remains content with the EC's handling of the electoral process.

"Foreign bodies are free to make assessment and give their own perceptions regarding the EC," Shahidan said in a parliamentary written reply to Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Bayan Baru).

 "In principle, the government is satisfied with EC's ability in all their policy implementation and their actions," he said.

EC chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof previously dismissed the Harvard report on the grounds that the EC was not interviewed by the surveyors.

Sim, at a press conference, later described Putrajaya's explanation for the answer as a form of self-flattery.

The survey was based on 49 indicators.

Sim also said the EC's claims that it has implemented most of the recommendations by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reform were misleading.

"In the recent Permatang Pauh by-election, we still could find phantom voters," he said.

- TMI