Yesterday, together with the Johor DAP State Chairman and MP for Kluang, Liew Chin Tong, Johor State Assemblyman for Jementah Tan Chen Choon, State Assemblyman for Mengkibol, Tan Hon Ping, State Assemblyman for Bekok, Lim Eng Guan and State Assemblyman for Tangkak, Ee Chin Li, I went to Batu Anam in Segamat to see for myself the UMNO/BN attempt, in cahoots with the Election Commission, to “steal” the 14th General Elections by shifting 1,051 army voters to an uncompleted Segamat military camp to save the MIC President and Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam from defeat in the Segamat parliamentary constituency.
A new military camp at Jalan Pulapol, Segamat was under construction, and it would not be completed until April next year, but 1,051 voters comprising army personnel and spouses have already been shifted there, appearing in the new electoral roll for Segamat parliamentary constituency.
How is this possible?
We have heard of phantom voters, but this is the first case of phantom voters in a phantom military camp – and is irrefutable proof of UMNO/BN government caught red-handed in trying to “steal” the 14GE by shifting 1,051 army voters to an uncompleted Segamat military camp which, among other things, will help to save the MIC President and Health Minister, Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam who won the Segamat parliamentary seat in the 13th General Election with a slim majority of 1,217 votes.
This is not a case of a one, ten or 50 persons committing the electoral offence of illegally registering as voter in a place which is neither a place of residence or work, or one or two Registering Officers taking in part in electoral scams and committing election offences, but involves the army and the Election Commission in a major illegal conspiracy to pad parliamentary constituencies which UMNO/BN regard as dangerous and could lose in the 14GE with safe army votes – to the extent of over a thousand votes.
How many thousands voters will be shifted to the Segamat parliamentary constituency in the next voter-registration exercise, although the military camp would not be completed or occupied as yet?
These are some of the despicable and undemocratic tricks and stratagems that the UMNO/BN government is using to try to “steal” the next general election and change the result on polling day, and it is no hidden secret that the UMNO/BN strategists are hoping to cheat to win the next general election to the extent of recapturing two-thirds parliamentary majority which they lost in the last two general elections.
For the past eight days, both the military authorities and the Election Commission have maintained a thunderous silence although DAP Johor State Assemblymen had exposed such illegal electoral scams a week ago, which explains why the Malaysian public have lost confidence in the credibility, impartiality and professionalism in national institutions to carry out their functions and duties.
The military authorities, including the Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein and the Election Commission cannot continue their silence, and must explain why they allow such a large-scale cheating in registration of voters for the 14th General Election expected in the next six months.
There should be a full public inquiry why there is such a large-scale cheating in the voters’ registration exercise involving phantom military camps.
(Speech at the Dialogue Kopitiam in Kangkar Pulai, Gelang Patah on Saturday, 4th November 2017 at 9 am)