Drag poll wrongdoers to court, EC told

By Fauwaz Abdul Aziz (Malaysiakini.com)
Apr 17, 07 4:08pm

DAP has urged the Election Commission (EC) to identify and prosecute those who flouted the law to secure a ‘dishonourable’ victory for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Machap by-election.

In a memorandum to EC today, the opposition party called on the commission to identify those guilty of bribery and intimidation in the run-up to the contest for the Malacca state seat.

The memorandum was submitted by Ng Wei Aik (photo, middle), the political secretary to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, to EC public relations officer Sabri Said (photo, right) at the commission’s headquarters in Putrajaya.

Also present was DAP candidate for Machap, Liou Chen Kuang (photo, left).

Contacted later, Ng said those guilty must be prosecuted under the Election Offences Act 1954.

“We want EC to investigate the incidents we have highlighted in our memorandum and drag those involved to court,” he added.

In the April 12 by-election, BN candidate Lai Meng Chong swept to victory over Liou with a 4,081 vote majority.

Attached to the four-page memorandum were photographs allegedly depicting voters receiving money from a BN operations room on polling day.

The memorandum also referred to the newly-paved roads, hundreds of new street lamps, a RM1.2 million recreational area near the Durian Tunggal Dam as well as the announcement to Machap voters of a host of other development projects.

“This is a clear breach of election regulations, which limit campaigning expenditures for a state seat to RM100,000,” said Ng.

Karaoke session

Yesterday, EC chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said allocations, given out or promised in kind by ministers and government officials during elections, cannot be deemed as bribery.

However, he also stated that election candidates and political parties cannot make promises to voters during an election.

On this point, Ng said DAP had noted in its memorandum that Lai had on April 4 allegedly promised an allocation of RM6,000 to RM13,000 for the construction of five houses in Machap Baru.

Another example of ‘bribery’ highlighted was the RM20 paid to Machap Baru apartment residents who participated in an MCA-organised karaoke session on April 11.

Ng said the memorandum also touched on the fracas that took place on nomination day ( April 3) which saw two DAP members hurt.

Apart from these, he said BN-MCA ministers had also breached elections regulations when they urged voters to choose the ruling coalition on polling day itself.

He said photographic evidence were also furnished to EC on BN leaders allegedly campaigning within 50 meters of polling stations which is prohibited under the Election Offences Act.