Kit Siang: Thank you Abdul Rashid | Free Malaysia Today

Kit Siang: Thank you Abdul Rashid

Narinder Singh | December 1, 2013

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang takes a swipe at former EC chief for betraying the constitutional trust bestowed upon him by the nation while in office.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, in a cynical and sarcastic tone, lambasted the former secretary and chairman of the Election Commission (EC) Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman for admitting that the EC has never lived up to its constitutional responsibility.

Making his strongest remark, Kit Siang via his blog said “the nation must thank Abdul Rashid, the one man with the most experience as the secretary and chairman of the EC who managed not only 6 of 13 general elections but responsible for three of the four redelineations, for admitting that the EC never lived up to its constitutional responsibility.”

He said it was rather an admission on the part of the former EC head when he took responsibility for gerrymandering of the parliamentary and state assembly constituencies in three of the four redelineations.

“Rashid’s joining of Perkasa is shocking enough, but this is nothing compared to his virtual confession that he had been responsible for the gerrymandering of the parliamentary and state assembly constituencies in three of the four constituency redelineations in the nation’s history.”

The DAP leader said that the EC failed in being independent and non-partisan but was only an appendage of Umno/Barisan Nasional to ensure their perpetual hold to political power.

“Rashid has not only confirmed, but become the most notable witness, of the fact that previous constituency redelineations were gerrymandering exercises which violated the ‘one man, one vote, one value’ principle and establishing that the EC totally lacks transparency, credibility, integrity and professionalism,” he said.

Kit Siang believed Rashid had betrayed the constitutional trust bestowed on him while in office and that warranted the need to have EC members that are truly independent, impartial and professional.

In strong terms Kit Siang said, “the present batch of EC members should be replaced by a truly independent, impartial and professional EC, who commands the confidence of all political parties and NGOs to conduct the new constituency redelineation in a fair, democratic and unbiased manner.”

Kit Siang took a further swipe at Rashid when he justified openly to public his stand for joining Perkasa recently.

Kit Siang said “that in justifying himself (Rashid) for joining Perkasa, Rashid said that power was a number game and he could ensure that the Malays remain in power as this was the agenda of three constituency redelineation exercises conducted during his time with the EC.”