KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 ― The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has sought a
judicial review to compel the Election Commission (EC) to clean voter
rolls in Selangor, apart from verification checks to weed out suspicious
voters, its lawmakers have said.
Klang MP Charles Santiago will know this Thursday if his application
to get the EC to review electoral rolls in his constituency is
successful, but he was also aghast that the commission thought it
“normal” to have 28 per cent unidentified voters out of 500,000 new
registrants in Malaysia’s most industrialised state, owing to people
moving around in the country.
“When I read the news, I was thinking that it was the most
irresponsible statement,” said Santiago of the EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad
Omar who gave that reason last Friday.
The Klang MP had filed for a judicial review at the Shah Alam High
Court last month to compel an investigation by the EC, which he claimed
has been dragging its feet over the issue of suspect voters.
Santiago cited the cases of 6,000 doubtful voters, 3,457 voters whose
names were removed from the roll without permission or information, and
2,195 voters who were transferred without consent.
Other PR lawmakers are watching to see the results of Santiago’s
“test case” before following suit, including Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.
“Actually the only option left to us is to bring to court,” the PAS
MP said here, although he agreed that their chances might be slim.
Instead, Khalid will bank on public support to neutralise the effects of phantom voters.
DAP’s Teresa Kok agreed with Khalid, saying that she will ask her
supporters to mobilise genuine voters to come out during polling day.
She suggested for voters to help out during the campaigning period,
and to volunteer as polling and counting agents to monitor any possible
wrongdoings.
“We can’t do much, because all of [the unidentified voters] are in
the gazetted electoral roll,” the Kinrara assemblyman conceded, saying
that she is getting the list of unidentified voters checked in her own
state constituency.
“At our level, we have prepared our people, they are given a list of
those names that can’t be located,” PKR’s Zuraida Kamaruddin told The
Malaysian Insider.
“So if there are these people turning up to vote, we will have to do
some initiative on our own to do some verification,” the Ampang MP said,
detailing three stages of verification that she will implement.
In the first two steps, party members will protest to the EC
including complaining through relevant forms, if blacklisted names and
voters with dubious addresses appear in the final gazetted electoral
roll.
Finally, they will dispute any irregularities found during checks on
polling day, when party members will verify whether a voter is a
foreigner or has not stayed long in the country before obtaining their
identity cards.
Any irregularities in the electoral roll will be filed and recorded
for documentation purposes so that court action can be taken after
voting if necessary, Zuraida said.
“But at same time, we are not going to discount that we will stop
them from voting,” she said, although she acknowledged that it would be
an election offence to do so.
Khalid said, however, that although polling agents could cross-check
electoral roll against Selangor’s list, not much could be done as they
would be seen as preventing legitimate voters from voting.
The EC had said that it cannot stop those who are registered from
voting, as it is their legitimate right to do so even if they could not
be traced.
Selangor’s initiatives have received the thumbs-up from election
watchdog Bersih, who urged the state government to continue pressing
this issue, including taking the legal route.
“They have to continue publicising this ... Maybe they can go to
court to compel the EC to act. They should also lodge a police report,”
suggested Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
The independent coalition reiterated their support to Selangor,
saying it will provide the state government information, but did not
furnish further details on its own action regarding the issue, which it
described as “affecting everyone”.
Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) director Dr Ong
Kian Ming admitted that political parties could only do so much,
considering that the law stated that the electoral roll cannot be
legally challenged in court.
Selangor could pursue legal means or provide the list of untraceable
voters to alert polling agents of political parties, said Syed Ibrahim
Syed Noh, the president of the watchdog group Malaysians for Free and
Fair Elections (MAFREL).
Zuraida summed up Election 2013 as “a very important election” and
called for her comrades to be careful, since one vote will determine a
win for either side.
The EC has reportedly refused to work together with PR in an effort
to clear up the electoral roll, claiming that Selangor has gone to the
media for political mileage instead of directly meeting the commission.
PR won 36 out of a total of 56 state seats in Selangor in the last
general election where PKR’s Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim replaced
Umno’s Dr Mohd Khir Toyo as mentri besar.
Some PR leaders have alleged that the influx of new voters in the
state was part of a BN conspiracy to topple the Khalid administration
through cheating. BN leaders have denied the allegation.
A poll analysis recently found that the highest concentration of
dubious voters was in Selangor, the country’s wealthiest state that
Prime Minister Najib has pledged to take back “at all costs.”
Malaysia's Latest News
Steer clear of combat zone, Lahad Datu residents warned
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 — Residents in Lahad Datu are today reminded
to keep away from the area of operation or those which have been
labelled the red zone by the authorities.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib called for public co-operation as members of the security forces were still searching and mopping-up the affected areas to flush out the armed terrorists from the southern Philippines.
“Those are hot areas. We request residents to not go near or enter the areas concerned.
“Apart from that, if there were reports spread by any quarters, please verify the information with the police.
“Let us together help the security forces to ensure the situation and peace in Sabah is restored,” he said when contacted through the live telecast of “Malaysia Hari Ini” (MHI) programme on TV3 today.
The “Op Daulat”, launched to flush out the remaining armed intruders from the southern Philippines, is in its 6th day with 53 of the militants reported killed in the operation.
Since the intrusion by the militants on February 12, eight policemen had been killed, two of them in an attack in Kampung Tanduo on March 1 and the other six in an ambush in Semporna the following day. — Bernama
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib called for public co-operation as members of the security forces were still searching and mopping-up the affected areas to flush out the armed terrorists from the southern Philippines.
“Those are hot areas. We request residents to not go near or enter the areas concerned.
“Apart from that, if there were reports spread by any quarters, please verify the information with the police.
“Let us together help the security forces to ensure the situation and peace in Sabah is restored,” he said when contacted through the live telecast of “Malaysia Hari Ini” (MHI) programme on TV3 today.
The “Op Daulat”, launched to flush out the remaining armed intruders from the southern Philippines, is in its 6th day with 53 of the militants reported killed in the operation.
Since the intrusion by the militants on February 12, eight policemen had been killed, two of them in an attack in Kampung Tanduo on March 1 and the other six in an ambush in Semporna the following day. — Bernama
IGP: Another militant killed, Sulu death toll now 53
KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Another Sulu gunman was shot dead this
morning by Malaysian security forces, Inspector-General of Police (IGP)
Tan Sri Ismail Omar said today, as the armed conflict in Sabah’s Lahad
Datu district entered its 28th day.
According to The Star Online, Ismail said the gunman was killed in a shootout at about 8am as he attempted to slip through a tight security blockade in Kampung Tanjung Batu.
But the IGP admitted that there was no sign yet of Agbimuddin Kiram, the brother of self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who led the armed rebel group to Sabah on February 9.
“We believe they were trying to avoid security forces by moving between both villages,” he was quoted as saying, referring to Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Tanduo.
Ismail added that the remaining members of Agbimuddin’s group were thought to be moving about in pairs or in small units.
Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin explained that following Tuesday’s aerial attacks by Malaysia’s air force, the group of gunmen managed to escape from Kampng Tanduo to Kampung Tanjung Batu due to the rugged terrain, The Star Online reported.
Malaysia launched an all-out assault on the Sulu group on Tuesday morning, using fighter jets to rain down heavy artillery fire and bombs on the now-beleaguered Kampung Tanduo where the men were hiding.
After the air strike, ground troops moved in for the “mopping up” operations, going from door-to-door and advancing slowly over the uneven terrain surrounding the coastal village to hunt down the armed militants.
Despite reports of the rising number of Sulu deaths, however, the Kiram clan said yesterday it only believes that 10 of its men have fallen, suggesting the use of propaganda by Malaysia to claim success over its counterattack on the Filipinos.
Spokesman Abraham Idjirani said the family wants Malaysia to permit foreign journalists, including those from the Philippines, to enter the conflict zone in Lahad Datu, Sabah, to confirm the Sulu death toll.
“You must allow the foreign and local media into the conflict areas to verify their claims. Until that is done, everything is subject to debate,” he was quoted in The Philippine Star as saying yesterday.
Idjirani, who was speaking on behalf of Jamalul, said information received from Agbimuddin confirmed that only 10 of the “royal” Sulu army have been killed since Malaysia launched attacks last Friday.
“We call it the March 1 Massacre,” he was quoted in Philippine network ABN-CBS News as saying.
In an ABN-CBS News broadcast yesterday, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Raul Hernandez said the government was still trying to verify the number of Filipino casualties in Sabah, saying they could only rely on information offered to them by the Malaysian authorities.
Agbimuddin last contacted his family in the Philippines at 2.30pm yesterday, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, saying he and his men were still alive and on the run but were suffering from hunger.
The daily reported Agbimuddin as saying that his forces have regrouped and have successfully been evading the relentless assault by Malaysian security forces, who are still advancing on them slowly in the rugged terrain.
“They are constantly moving, not by boat, not by any means of transportation but by themselves.… They are on foot.… They are suffering from hunger,” Idjirani was quoted as saying.
According to The Star Online, Ismail said the gunman was killed in a shootout at about 8am as he attempted to slip through a tight security blockade in Kampung Tanjung Batu.
But the IGP admitted that there was no sign yet of Agbimuddin Kiram, the brother of self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who led the armed rebel group to Sabah on February 9.
“We believe they were trying to avoid security forces by moving between both villages,” he was quoted as saying, referring to Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Tanduo.
Ismail added that the remaining members of Agbimuddin’s group were thought to be moving about in pairs or in small units.
Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin explained that following Tuesday’s aerial attacks by Malaysia’s air force, the group of gunmen managed to escape from Kampng Tanduo to Kampung Tanjung Batu due to the rugged terrain, The Star Online reported.
Malaysia launched an all-out assault on the Sulu group on Tuesday morning, using fighter jets to rain down heavy artillery fire and bombs on the now-beleaguered Kampung Tanduo where the men were hiding.
After the air strike, ground troops moved in for the “mopping up” operations, going from door-to-door and advancing slowly over the uneven terrain surrounding the coastal village to hunt down the armed militants.
Despite reports of the rising number of Sulu deaths, however, the Kiram clan said yesterday it only believes that 10 of its men have fallen, suggesting the use of propaganda by Malaysia to claim success over its counterattack on the Filipinos.
Spokesman Abraham Idjirani said the family wants Malaysia to permit foreign journalists, including those from the Philippines, to enter the conflict zone in Lahad Datu, Sabah, to confirm the Sulu death toll.
“You must allow the foreign and local media into the conflict areas to verify their claims. Until that is done, everything is subject to debate,” he was quoted in The Philippine Star as saying yesterday.
Idjirani, who was speaking on behalf of Jamalul, said information received from Agbimuddin confirmed that only 10 of the “royal” Sulu army have been killed since Malaysia launched attacks last Friday.
“We call it the March 1 Massacre,” he was quoted in Philippine network ABN-CBS News as saying.
In an ABN-CBS News broadcast yesterday, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Raul Hernandez said the government was still trying to verify the number of Filipino casualties in Sabah, saying they could only rely on information offered to them by the Malaysian authorities.
Agbimuddin last contacted his family in the Philippines at 2.30pm yesterday, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, saying he and his men were still alive and on the run but were suffering from hunger.
The daily reported Agbimuddin as saying that his forces have regrouped and have successfully been evading the relentless assault by Malaysian security forces, who are still advancing on them slowly in the rugged terrain.
“They are constantly moving, not by boat, not by any means of transportation but by themselves.… They are on foot.… They are suffering from hunger,” Idjirani was quoted as saying.
Anwar says vindicated by apology from Saiful’s dad
GEORGE TOWN, March 9 — The public apology from Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s
father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, had vindicated him of the sodomy charges
levelled against him, said opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“God is great, they can conspire once, twice, in 1998 and again 2008, and now the conspiracy is out in the open as revealed by Azlan,” he told the crowd of almost 10,000 at Pakatan Rakyat’s fifth anniversary rally at Esplanade here last night.
“I have always maintained my innocence for the first case as well as last year’s case. The court also freed me of the charge last year,” he said.
The PKR chief said the confession by Saiful’s father has revealed the conspiracy against him.
He also credited “the power of prayer” for allowing the truth to prevail.
Later, at a press conference, the former deputy prime minister said he was thankful that Azlan had came forward with the truth and shed light on the conspiracy.
Azlan had revealed in a press conference yesterday that his son was used by unnamed quarters, including an officer from the Prime Minister’s Department, to defame Anwar with sodomy charges.
The 60-year-old had claimed that all media statements by him and Saiful had been prepared by a special officer in the Prime Minister’s Department together with a lawyer.
On January 9 last year, the High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar of sodomising Mohd Saiful, 27, at a Desa Damansara condominium unit in Bukit Damansara here between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
Anwar, 65, was charged under section 377B of the Penal Code, which carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers filed an appeal against the decision and the Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear the case on July 22.
“God is great, they can conspire once, twice, in 1998 and again 2008, and now the conspiracy is out in the open as revealed by Azlan,” he told the crowd of almost 10,000 at Pakatan Rakyat’s fifth anniversary rally at Esplanade here last night.
“I have always maintained my innocence for the first case as well as last year’s case. The court also freed me of the charge last year,” he said.
The PKR chief said the confession by Saiful’s father has revealed the conspiracy against him.
He also credited “the power of prayer” for allowing the truth to prevail.
Later, at a press conference, the former deputy prime minister said he was thankful that Azlan had came forward with the truth and shed light on the conspiracy.
Azlan had revealed in a press conference yesterday that his son was used by unnamed quarters, including an officer from the Prime Minister’s Department, to defame Anwar with sodomy charges.
The 60-year-old had claimed that all media statements by him and Saiful had been prepared by a special officer in the Prime Minister’s Department together with a lawyer.
On January 9 last year, the High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar of sodomising Mohd Saiful, 27, at a Desa Damansara condominium unit in Bukit Damansara here between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
Anwar, 65, was charged under section 377B of the Penal Code, which carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers filed an appeal against the decision and the Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear the case on July 22.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)