PKR man refutes Farhash's claim of missing votes in party polls

 

Chiew Choon Man, who was the PKR Youth legal bureau chief and a PKR Youth central committee candidate, has refuted defeated vice-presidential candidate Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak's claim that more than 25,000 votes in the PKR polls had gone missing.

Farhash (above) had zoomed in on the votes for the deputy presidential race, pointing out that the total votes garnered by Rafizi Ramli and Saifuddin Nasution totalled 119,030, but there were some 147,000 PKR members who took part in the vote.

However, Chiew pointed out that members are not compelled to vote for every position in the PKR polls.

"For example, for the election in the Penampang division, the total votes for the deputy presidential race is 274 while the votes received by all candidates for the division chief is 576.

"In this case, there is no issue of 302 vote difference 'going missing' as voters at the Penampang division who voted for their division chief have a right not to vote for the deputy president position.

"This was the practice in past elections where every member was given the freedom to vote or not to vote for a particular position," he said in a statement.

Chiew said the erroneous allegation needed to be corrected to avoid an inaccurate public perception of the integrity and quality of the PKR election.

He said candidates with grouses should use the correct channel to air their unhappiness.

"Party discipline should be respected to avoid inaccurate perception," he said.

Farhash, a former aide to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, has made repeated claims of impropriety after losing to Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari for the Gombak division chief position.

He also lost in the contest for one of the four elected vice-president positions. - Mkini