Malaysian ruling party BN insist on forcing the military and police personnel as well as their family members to vote under the so called `postal voting’ method where the voters are not allowed access by non-ruling parties and where the voting is not handled by the Election Commission as required by the Constitution. The system had allowed overwhelming support to the ruling parties since the Independence of the country. Such unfair voting practices mean that the BN had enjoyed block votes for its candidates where ever there are police quarters(which is quite pervasive) and military camps(quite substantial in many constituencies, and more are planned to locate 1 at each constituency). The excuse given by the ruling party is incredible: they claim that that is to safeguard the voting rights of the military and police personnel as well as their family members. However the rights of these citizens as voters are violated in a number of ways under the `postal vote’ system eg they are barred from campaign by non-ruling parties/candidates; the secrecy of their votes cannot be guaranteed since the voting process is not open to observation by party agents or independent poll observers. Worse: they are made to adopt less than satisfactory `postal vote’ procedure when they are voting where they are registered! So : why must they vote through a system which is susceptible to manipulations?

Ong BK

Nazri: Postal votes to stay

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The government has no plans to review or change the postal voting system for the police and armed forces, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz today.

Nazri said the Election Commission (EC) does allow representatives of parties contesting in a particular election to witness the voting process to ensure it was carried out in a fair and transparent manner.

“EC feels the postal voting system is still relevant in accordance with election procedures,” said Nazri in Parliament today when replying to a question by Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Pengkalan Chepa) who wanted to know if the government had any plans to change the system.

He refuted Abdul Halim’s claim that there were 2.5 million names of dead voters on the electoral list, because the EC updates the electoral list every six months according to a list provided by the National Registration Department.

Nazri said the status of wives’ of police and armed forces personnel would also remain since the EC does not intend to change their status to normal voters.

“If the wife lives with her husband who is on duty in Sarawak but registered as a voter in Pengkalan Chepa, it does not make sense for her to return to Pengkalan Chepa to vote since it involves cost, logistics and other matters,” he said.

He added that the postal voting system provided an opportunity for the police, armed forces, civil defence forces and students studying abroad to fulfil their obligation as voters.

“However, that does not mean the EC will not improve certain aspects of the system because they (EC) are always responsive to changes,” he said.

He added that it has become the norm for the opposition to start complaining to the EC whenever it loses an election.

“Barisan Nasional does not resort to such action even if the loss involves postal votes,” he said. — Bernama

Soalan Dewan Negara di mesyuarat Kedua, Penggal Kedua Parlimen Ke 12

SOALAN:

Senator Tn haji Muhamad Yusof bin Husin minta PERDANA MENTERI menyatakan jumlah kewangan yang dibelanjakan oleh semua agensi Kerajaan untuk mengendalikan pilihan raya kecil 2009 bagi kawasan Parlimen Bukit Gantang, Perak; DUN Bukit Selambau, Kedah; DUN Batang Ai, Sarawak; dan DUN Penanti, Pulau Pinang.

JAWAPAN:

Tuan Yang Dipertua,
Untuk makluman Ahli-ahli Yang Berhormat, terdapat pelbagai pihak yang terlibat secara langsung di dalam proses pilihanraya termasuk pihak-pihak berkuasa dan jabatan-jabatan di bawah kementerian yang berlainan. Perbelanjaan oleh pihak-pihak tersebut tidak dapat ditentukan oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR).

Namun, pecahan jumlah kewangan yang dibelanjakan oleh SPR, mengikut Bahagian pilihan Raya yang terlibat adalah seperti berikut:

P059 Bukit Gantang RM703,000.00
N025 Bukit Selambau RM283,000.00
N029 Batang Ai RM355,000.00
N012 Penanti RM515,000.00

Sekian, terima kasih.

Jawapan disediakan oleh: Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri b Abdul Aziz (Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri)

The UMNO Assembly after Abdullah Badawi assumed PM-ship paved the way for an early political `tsunami’ in 2004 General Elelctions. The dissappointment with the performance of Badawi led to the next `tsunami’ sweeping the other way against UMNO in 2008 GE. Now that Najib become PM and come out with another sweet talking `1 Malaysia’ General Assembly -is it another hint for a General Elelctions? An analyst think so:

Déjà ‘vu: Is it 2004 again?

OCT 19 — I spent most of last week watching the Umno AGM. Several things struck me (I’m sure you feel the same way).

a) There was hardly any Ketuanan Melayu speeches — yes, bits and pieces here and there but nothing like what we saw in the past few Umno gatherings

b) The keris disappeared from Umno Youth meeting

c) A new symbol appeared everywhere: 1 Malaysia was as prominent as the Umno logo. In fact the 1 Malaysia logo was larger than the Umno logo in the main hall

d) The overall tone was much more inclusive rather than Malay-centric

The most impressive speech was by the Umno Youth chief. By now you would have read about it but unfortunately, the powers-that-be did not see fit to print his speeches in the Malay newspapers so I am assuming that the bulk of the Malay population do now know the full details of his speech about the need for the Malays to be more competitive and move towards a more merit-based system. Astro Awani, hugely popular among the Malay middle class, also did not go into the details of his speech despite hours devoted to the Umno AGM.

But the thing that really struck me was how much this was like 2004. Prior to the 2004 general election, then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came up with the “Work with me and not for me” tagline (too bad his own party worked against him in the end!). It captured the imagination of the electorate and was a contributing factor is the landslide by Umno and BN. Abdullah’s message was inclusive and his vows to do something about the police and corruption really captured the mood of the electorate.

Back to 2009 and I am seeing the same things here. The Umno president’s speech was all-inclusive and his stress on 1 Malaysia and “People First. Performance Now” tagline is creating the “feel good” atmosphere we saw just before the 2004 general election during Pak Lah’s time.

I cannot help but feel that the 13th general election is coming and that we are seeing a replay of the same playbook for the coming general election. The propaganda specialists (I cannot use the “4th Floor boys” anymore since they are no longer physically there) are acutely aware that the economy will bounce back early next year and that it would an excellent time to call for a general election. I therefore predict that we will see the 13th GE in 2010. Hence all the 1 Malaysia speeches and the inclusive message of respect, love and diversity. It is no accident that the first huge gathering of 1 Malaysia was held in Perak. Perak, more than any other state, needs the “feel good” atmosphere.

The next question then is that will it be “1 Malaysia” and “People First. Performance Now”? People reading this will think probably not. I beg to differ. Most of you who read this are not representative of the general voters. The typical Malaysian voter is not very sophisticated and has a short memory. If Umno plays its cards well I suspect it will sell and we will see Umno making a big comeback in the 13th GE. The only problem area for “1 Malaysia” and “People First. Performance Now” is the component parties. MIC and MCA are in disarray and if they can resolve their differences by the end of this year, then its all-systems-go for the next general election.

More than 600,000 foreigners detected in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 18 — A total of 610,614 foreigners have been detected so far in operations in the west coast and east coast of Sabah, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.

He said the number consisted of 5,643 illegal immigrants identified under the first phase of Operasi Bersepadu, 4,425 illegal immigrants identified under the second phase of the same operation, 312,837 under the registration of undocumented workers and their dependents, 57,197 refugees and 230,000 foreign workers with valid permits.

He said that the most significant success of the Operasi Bersepadu was the registration of 312,837 undocumented immigrant workers and their dependents.

“Through the programme, employers were told to obtain proper documentations for their workers,” he told reporters after visiting the marine police station here today.

He said that the approach was taken to protect the interest of sectors in Sabah, especially the plantation sector.

“If we take drastic action and deport them, the sectors concerned will immediately be affected. At the same time, the registration would also allow the authorities to collect data to facilitate monitoring from time to time,” he said.

Hishammuddin (picture) said the ministry had given employers a second chance to register their workers.

“The registration period was to expire on May 31 this year but has been extended to Oct 31.

“At the same time, between July 1 and Oct 31, the Home Ministry is giving a discount of 50 per cent in the levy for each foreign worker,” he said.

He added that of the 317,837 undocumented immigrant workers and their dependents, only 192,723 of them had so far been registered legally as workers.

“We have given numerous opportunities for them carry out the registration process, and the Immigration Department has also been instructed to open counters on a daily basis until Oct 31.

“As soon as the registration period is over, a more aggressive operation against illegal immigrants will be carried out and those who are still unregistered will be detained and action taken under the law,” he said, adding that the third phase of Operasi Bersepadu would be launched next month.

Hishammuddin also said that the federal government was committed to finding ways to resolve illegal immigration problems in Sabah including crimes perpetrated by illegal immigrants.

This was in line with the ministry’s target of lowering the crime rate by 20 per cent this year, he said.

On the registration of 52,000 stateless children in the state, he said, it was a unique problem and that the National Registration Department was taking steps to resolve it. — Bernama

After Bagan Pinang win has UMNO become embolden enough to call for a Perak wide state elections to confirm its take over of the state government? Actually there was a detectable flow back of Malay support to UMNO at the Bkt Gantang by-election too. May be this is what it takes for UMNO to allow the people to have a say on who should lead the Perak state government-when they are controlling the state govt and when they see the `wind’ blowing their way. The mark of true politicians-not those who respect the people’s will as the highest reference as in a true democracy!

Ong BK

October 16, 2009 12:11 PM

Names Of New Voters In Perak On Display

IPOH, Oct 16(Bernama) — The names of those who registered as new voters or changed their addresses between July 1 and Sept 30 will be displayed for a week starting Tuesday.

Perak deputy election director Che Wan Muhammed Salleh Wan Adnan said in a statement here today that those concerened could check their names at the Perak state election offices, post offices and penghulu’s and district offices.

They can call the election offices at 05-2494113, 05-2494120 and 05-2494121 in case of problems.

– BERNAMA

`I give you money, you give me vote-OK?'

Are these not votes buying banned by then Election Offences Acts-why is the SPR not taking action on them, but busy itself to enforce something not explicitly banned by the law?

Ong BK

SPR made an interpretation that the non-contesting parties are not allowed to put up campaign material during campaign period, despite admitting that there is nothing in the law which explicitly disallow that. In such a situation a Constitutional Court such as operating in Indonesia would bring clarity to the situation promptly. The SPR is supposedly an independent body -however its interpretation of the law may be faulty-thus the need for a higher independent body to decide if the SPR has overstepped its boundaries.

Ong BK

Thursday October 8, 2009(Star)
EC: Elections Act only allows contestants’ flags
Reports by SARBAN SINGH, ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN, C.S. NATHAN, A. LETCHUMANAN and MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PORT DICKSON: Only flags and posters of Barisan Nasional and PAS are allowed to be displayed in the Bagan Pinang constituency, the Election Commission said.

Its deputy chairman, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, noted that the Election Offences Act did not state why parties not contesting the elections were not allowed to display their party flags.

“Section 24B of the Act states that only the candidate and political party contesting the elections are allowed to put up campaign materials as long as he is issued with the permit and pays the campaign deposit.

“Even the candidate himself will be barred from putting up his own campaign posters if he or his party do not pay the deposit,” he said after inspecting the final check and distribution of postal votes for the armed forces and police personnel at the district and land office here yesterday.

He said party workers had wanted to know which section in the Act stated that political parties were barred from putting up their posters or banners.

“Of course, it is not stated in the Act because the contesting candidate himself is not allowed to put up posters if he hasn’t paid the campaign deposit.

“So, there is no need to state in the Act why parties which are not contesting the elections can or cannot put up their posters.

“It’s a matter of whether the campaign deposit was paid by the contesting candidate and party.”

Wan Ahmad also refuted claims by PAS that there were duplication of names in the electoral roll, particularly involving postal voters. “We have scrutinised the roll and can assure everyone that the duplication of names does not exist.”

October 08, 2009 15:16 PM

Soldiers, Policemen Begin Casting Postal Votes

PORT DICKSON, Oct 8 (Bernama) — Postal voting began in the Bagan Pinang state by-election Thursday at two centres here for the soldiers and policemen.

The soldiers cast their votes at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pusasda) while the policemen at the Port Dickson Police District Headquarters (IPD).

Polling, which began at 8am, was reported to be smooth.

Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar witnessed the voting process at Pusasda where about 2,000 soldiers at the camp were expected to cast their votes.

“Polling at Pusasda is conducted by the army and witnessed by agents of contending candidates,” he said, adding that the agents were satisfied with the process.

“Polling at Pusasda will stop at 5pm and in the event there are still soldiers who could not vote today, we will continue the process tomorrow and event the following day,” he told Bernama.

He said ballot papers had also been sent to soldiers living outside the camp yesterday.

The are 4,604 postal voters in Bagan Pinang, of which 4,571 are soldiers, 31 policemen and two voters, who are working overseas.

The constituency has 13,664 voters including 9,060 ordinary voters.

The postal ballot bags must reach the returning officer’s office by 5pm on Sunday and votes that arrived after that will not be counted.

In another development, Wan Ahmad denied that an allegation by PAS that there was duplication in the Bagan Pinang electoral roll.

“We had checked the electoral roll against the list handed to us by PAS on Wednesday.

“Maybe the duplication was found in the public list outside Bagan Pinang constituency. We will check on that after the by-election,” he added.

Former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad of the BN is pitted against PAS state commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar in the by-election on Sunday.

– BERNAMA

The opposition parties are eligible to register as a coalition as the requirement of having at least seven component parties does not apply to them, said Registrar of Societies (ROS) director-general Md Alias Kalil.

“The condition does not apply to political parties as they enjoy a national status. Only state-level organisation aspiring to become a national entity needs to have seven members from the states,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

He was commenting on a call by the Election Commission (EC) that opposition parties register Pakatan Rakyat as a legal entity like Barisan Nasional to enable them to campaign as a coalition and put up their parties’ flags.

Md Alias brushed aside a claim by the opposition that ROS’ conditions were rigid and as such it was difficult to formalise the alliance.

“There are normal conditions, which should be adhered to, such as they must have a constitution like that of BN.

“This is not a big issue and until today, we have not received any applications from them,” he said.

The opposition is made up of PKR, DAP and PAS.

- Bernama