Speech by M Kula Segaran, DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat at Ipoh Central Market ( at the DAP event to support Bersih 3.0 rally ) on Saturday , April 15, 2012
Let 428 be a historic day for the struggle for free, fair and clean election.
Despite having held six public hearings, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms ( PSC) failed to address fundamental issues involving defects and weaknesses of our electoral system.
The PSC was actually formed as a government’s reaction to the successful Bersih 2.0 rally held on July 9, last year.
Bersih 2.0 had made 8 demands as follows:-
- Clean the electoral roll
- Reform postal voting
- Use of indelible ink
- minimum campaign period of 21 days
- Free and fair access to mainstream media
- Strengthen public institutions
- Stop corruption
- Stop dirty politics
However, only item 3 was adopted by the PSC.
A clean electoral roll is most fundamental to a free, fair and clean election. Yet despite concrete evidence being made available about the “ unclean roll” , the Election Commission has failed to do the right and necessary thing.
Independent political analyst Ong Kian Ming has recently said his Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) found some 100,000 problematic names and combined with other previously highlighted issues, would “easily amount to over 400,000 dubious voters.
According to Ong, there may be other discrepancies that have not yet been uncovered by various parties who have combed through the gazette of over 12 million voters.
400,000 dubious voters will be enough not only to ensure BN easily retain power but will also allow it to regain the two thirds parliamentary majority.
How could the nation’s 13th general election be free, fair and clean if EC does not clean up the roll?
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib has often talked about reforms, but where are the meaningful electoral reforms needed to ensure free, fair and clean election?
Ong’s project traced over 100,000 voters with one of these 10 issues — above 85 years old, gender inconsistent with identity card (IC), same name and similar birth date, born overseas, Klang Valley voters who do not have house addresses, postal voters with regular ICs, spouses of police who are postal voters, spouses of army and police voters who have the same gender, army and police voters above retirement age and army and police postal voters who are above recruitment age.
Malaysians must rise to the occasion on April 28 and give the fullest support to Bersih 3.0 sit in at Dataran Merdeka.
We must all send a very clear and strong message to the BN government and the Election Commission that we want free , fair and clean election .
The 2007 Bersih 1.0 rally attracted 40,000 participants and the 2011 Bersih 2.0 rally saw the participation of 50,000 people .
.I call on Malaysians to support and participate in the Bersih 3.0 sit on April 28 and make it a bigger success.
Let 428 be a historic day for the struggle for free, fair and clean election.
Comments
Post a Comment