“Passing the buck” to PSC of all allegations of a flawed electoral system such as foreigners given the right to vote is completely unacceptable


The “passing the buck” to the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reforms of all allegations of a flawed electoral system such as foreigners given the right to vote is completely unacceptable and would be proof that the PSC is mere political ploy and diversionary tactics.

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday that Pakatan Rakyat allegations of foreigners being given the right to vote will be addressed by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reform.

Why should this be the case. Shouldn’t serious allegations like the issue of citizenship to foreigners to give them the right to vote, which is a most treasonous action, be addressed and resolved immediately by the Election Commission, instead of deferring action and “passing the buck” to the parliamentary select committee which could only be formed in October?

An efficient and professional Election Commission would report to the parliamentary select committee what measures it has taken to address and resolve the serious allegations of a flawed electoral system instead of “passing the buck” to the parliamentary select committee in October to start from scratch to deal with them.

Hishammuddin said the government has nothing to hide and that the allegations of foreigners issued with citizenship to give them the right to vote is “baseless”. Why then is it not possible for the Election Commission and the National Registration Department to here and now prove these allegations as “baseless” instead of having to wait for the establishment of the parliamentary select committee?

There are enough matters to occupy the parliamentary select committee to propose a free and fair electoral system without having to be tied down by these specific allegations.

The latest statement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz have reinforced doubts that the parliamentary select committee is more political ploy and diversionary tactics than a sincere and genuine measure to address the flawed electoral system in the country.

Only this morning, Muhyiddin again likened the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 to the UK riots when he congratulated the police for their handling of the Bersih rally after citing the UK riots as a “clear example” of how a country can descend into chaos if “elements that threaten peace and security” are not stopped.

If the top government and police leaders refuse to concede the great difference between the Bersih rally where the organisers and tens and thousands of Malaysians regardless of race or religion were fully committed to a peaceful assembly to demand free and fair elections and the UK riots where the troublemakers set out to riot, who can be convinced that the Barisan Nasional leadership have undergone a real change of heart as to expect meaningful electoral reforms before the next general elections?

Najib cannot be more wrong when he said yesterday that his decision to introduce electoral reforms was to “satisfy” the opposition as the call for free and fair election system is the demand not only of the opposition but also the civil society and all patriotic Malaysians and for the good of the future of Malaysia.

However, what is most fatal about public confidence in the parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms is the refusal of the Barisan Nasional to consult with the Pakatan Rakyat leadership before unilaterally and arbitrarily deciding on the composition, terms of reference, timeline, the role of Bersih 2.0 and other aspects of the committee.

Without an agreed time-line and clear-cut assurance from the Prime Minister himself that the report and recommendations of the parliamentary select committee for free and fair elections would be fully implemented in time for the next general elections, the deliberations of the parliamentary select committee would be moot if Parliament is dissolved earlier – in fact, the parliamentary select committee is automatically dissolved when Parliament is dissolved.

  1. #1 by asia on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 2:07 pm

    Now Malaysia are support legally importing potential terrorist in the state

    The asylum seekers – mostly Afghans and Pakistanis

    These people are practice extreme MUSLIM rules

    They like to use the god name to order people these and that…do these and that for god…hate but not love sometimes

    When you question them? they may condemn you against the god

    There are one person very like them could be the DR M

  2. #2 by Joshua on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 2:20 pm

    What a musical game by the illegal UMNO/BN Government.

    PSC is impotent even before it is started.

    RCI is urgent and important now.

  3. #3 by asia on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 2:23 pm

    There is one person very like them could be the DR M

    http://www.colorq.org/ChildrenOfMySoul/stories.aspx?s=history

    We must take pre-caution

    This is our country

  4. #4 by country for good malaysian on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 2:24 pm

    This is Malaysia Boleh mah.
    People who are employed to do the job never does their job. It always end up with all kind of committees or consultants doing all the works. Seems like this is the current trend. This is pulling wool over Rakyat eyes.

  5. #5 by ktteokt on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 2:54 pm

    Why is Kerismuddin still the Home Minister when he does not want to deal with this issue which is directly under his power? If so, please just resign!

  6. #6 by Loh on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 2:59 pm

    ///Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday that Pakatan Rakyat allegations of foreigners being given the right to vote will be addressed by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reform.///

    The PSC should then be given the power to decide how to revoke the citizenship of those who should not be allowed into the country in the first place, such as those who came in through project M in Sabah since the 1990s. It is only when the list of citizens is accurate would the list of voters be accurate. Now that the Home Ministry has abdicated its role, through the announcement of the Home Minister, the PSC should review the role of the Home Ministry and put it under the supervision of the Parliament.

  7. #7 by yhsiew on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 3:05 pm

    Several diplomats told The Malaysian Insider that EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof’s briefing weeks before the Bersih rally on July 9 did not convince them of the commission’s neutrality as he kept referring to being part of the government.

    “They are not credible. Abdul Aziz kept repeating ‘us’ and ‘we in the government’ during the briefing,” a European diplomat told The Malaysian Insider.

  8. #8 by HJ Angus on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 4:00 pm

    This is electoral fraud on a grand scale.
    Both the EC Chairman and Deputy Chairman should be sacked or charged for criminal negligence.
    It’s quite possible or probable that a team of officials in the EC have been bribed to input the “technical errors”.
    http://malaysiawatch4.blogspot.com/2011/08/malaysiakini-and-cheating-in.html

  9. #9 by dagen on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 4:12 pm

    Hmmmm. What is this asylum swap thingy in respect of which umno had an agreement with australia? Do we hv a case of an ulterior umno design to bake yet more fresh bumiputras for the purposes of augmenting the size of umno’s support in GE13?

    If project ic is dr mamak’s secret recipe, could this swap thingy be jibby jib’s secret recipe for baking fresh bumiputras?

  10. #10 by monsterball on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 4:36 pm

    Flip flopping..twisting and turning….put out good news..then twist it back to square one…are being performed by the 3 stooges..occasionally joined by the turncoat good for nothing Min Of Information…to make sure his boss notice how loyal he is to him.
    3 stooges….Najib….Nazri ..Hismamuddin
    Turncoat man…Rais Yatim.
    Best of the best…is Muhyiddin…in the best position that makes Najib fear him most now.

  11. #11 by drngsc on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 4:37 pm

    Please do not let this “PSC” bait way lay us. It may turn out to be a red herring. Do not waste too much energy on this PSC.
    Please continue to work hard for victory in GE 13.
    If PSC on electoral reform helps, fine, if not just forget them. We must continue top work hard for victory.

    We must change the tenant at Putrajaya and GE 13 is our best chance. Failure is not an option.

  12. #12 by boh-liao on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 5:07 pm

    Anything NR touched or announced eventually turns in2 a pile of smelly scat1, POOF poop

  13. #13 by Loh on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 7:42 pm

    ///Under the scheme implented in the 1990s, UMNO gave Malaysian citizenship and voting rights to over 600,000 foreigners, predominantly Muslims from Mindanao and Indonesia, in return for their votes in Sabah’s state assembly elections.

    by Jojo Malig, abs-cbnNEWS.com///–http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/special-reports/42882-wikileaks-cable-filipinos-troublesome-in-sabah

    These 600,000 persons are no doubt in the EC list of voters. They are non-citizens and the PSC should recommend that their citiznship status be revoked, and they are removed from the EC list.

  14. #14 by tak tahan on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 9:46 pm

    I’m afraid time is running out soon for us,no?We have to set the timeline to reform electoral process before we go through another unjust and unfair election just like before.I hope PR will come out with quick and wise solution before we face the unparalleled playing field in the GE13 battle.Stay united and focus cause this time is the best chance to kick Umno into the confined cell.We want a change for better future!

  15. #15 by vsp on Thursday, 18 August 2011 - 11:42 pm

    Everybody should be circumspect about the formation of the PSC. While its formation is good but when it is hijacked to serve the BN’s narrow agenda, it should ring warning bells. This reminds me of the formation of the MACC. Everybody was going gaga when the MACC was formed. UMNO hijacked the bureau and used it to topple the Pakatan’s state government of Perak and in its attempt to also topple the Selangor state government, it caused the death of Teo Beng Hock.

    The PSC should not be under the control of the BN or the Pakatan. It should be totally independent and answerable to the king and a disinterested ombudsman. The ombudsman should not be a political animal, subservient to any political master. Why do I not include Parliament to be part of the check-and-balance equation? This is because the party that control Parliament will always bulldoze its way to frustrate any check-and-balance. Just look at Parliament in its present form: the Speaker is always a political animal subservient to the BN’s beck and call.

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