The Election Commission should hold an inquiry whether it had acted unlawfully in complying with the directive by the previous Najib government to illegally transfer military voters to shore up the support for four Ministers for the 14th General Election – Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi (Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister), Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein (Defence Minister), Datuk Seri Ibrahim Sabry Yaakob (Minister for Rural and Regional Development) and Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam (Minister for Health).
Last Wednesday, the Election Commission Chairman Azhar Azizan Harun said the Election Commission is awaiting a full audit report by a special investigation committee on procurement, governance and finance in the Defence Ministry led by former auditor-general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang appointed by the new Pakatan Harapan Government.
The Ambrin audit report had reported that EC officials were complicit in aiding the ministry in the transfer of military voters to camps built in Bera (Pahang), Segamat (Johor), Paloh (Johor) and Hutan Melintang (Perak) in time to be eligible to vote in the GE14.
Such collusion of EC officials with the Defence Ministry to illegally and undemocratically shore up the support of Cabinet Ministers in the ensuing 14th General Election was not only a flagrant abuse of power by the Najib government but an impermissible abuse of the democratic process.
However, as saying goes “Man proposes, God disposes”, and one of the four Minsters could not escape the dragnet in the winds of change which blew strong and wide in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018.
But the three more fortunate former Ministers, Zahid, Hishammuddin and Ismail Sabry Yaakob of the turtle-egg fame should state whether they welcome an inquiry as to whether their election was unlawful, undemocratic and should therefore be declared null and void.
Former Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein made a very intriguing statement when he challenged the Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and his deputy Liew Chin Tong to prove that he benefitted from land swap deals struck under his tenure.
The former defence minister was responding to claims that the government lost more than RM500 million in the land swaps.
As far as I am aware, both Mohamad Sabu and Liew Chin Tong have not made any allegation that Hishammuddin had personally benefited financially.
But what was most intriguing was Hishammuddin’s cryptic remark:
“My advice to them both, if they live in glass houses, don’t throw stones.”
Hishammuddin should explain himself what he meant by this remark, which does not appear to be a declaration of innocence, and clearly a statement that his father, Tun Hussein Onn, known for his uncompromising stand against corruption, would have approved.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Wednesday, 15th May 2019)