PETALING JAYA: Bersih 2.0 has rejected an Umno leader’s accusation that it is biased for not criticising the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government over its announcement of dozens of projects lined up for Sandakan ahead of a by-election there next month.
Bersih chairman Thomas Fann said Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin should explain how Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had committed an offence in announcing 49 development projects for the constituency.
“Would the honourable MP please tell us which part of the Election Offences Act 1954 or any other law was breached by the finance minister when these were already budgeted for Sandakan?” asked Fann.
Lim had announced the projects worth some RM2.8 billion for Sandakan, which goes to the polls on May 11.
Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin said two of the projects – an airport and flood mitigation works – were already approved by the previous government in 2015.
Fann had earlier described Lim’s announcement as mere “boasting”.
“What he was doing was reminding Sandakan voters of the good that the PH government is doing, or in other words, boasting of its achievements,” he told FMT on Wednesday. “Boasting is not an election offence.
But Bung said Bersih was “no longer the Bersih everyone knew of”.
Fann said the projects were not new but part of Budget 2019.
“Surely the function of a government can’t be stopped due to by-elections,” he added.
But Fann said Bersih still holds Lim to task for using the finance ministry’s official portal to make the announcement, saying it is an “obvious attempt to fish for votes”.
“It is our view that this constitutes an abuse of government machinery for partisan purposes,” he said.
“Again, there is no law against this now but we are disappointed that he did not maintain a higher ethical standard.
“It would have been different if he had reminded Sandakan voters of the achievements of PH in a ceramah or interview (during the campaign).” - FMT
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