8 demands included

The Sun
by HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM

> Electoral reform demands made by NGOs to be part of committee’s framework, says Nazri

KUALA LUMPUR: The eight demands by several nongovernmental organisations and MPs will be included in the framework for the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reforms.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the demands by “legal” NGOs would be included in a memorandum prepared by the Election Commission (EC).

“The memorandum will be submitted for the cabinet meeting on Sept 7. Once it gets the cabinet’s approval, we will inform the Rights and Privileges Committee in Parliament,” Nazri told a press conference yesterday after meeting EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof.

Asked if the NGOs referred to included the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih), Nazri refused to acknowledge it, adding: “I am sure some of them are legal.”

The eight demands put forth by the NGOs are on strengthening public institutions, stopping corruption, stopping dirty politics, giving free and fair access to media, cleaning the electoral roll, reforming postal votes and advanced voting (for those stationed overseas), the campaign period, the use of indelible ink and the EC’s counter-proposal to implement biometric system.

Nazri said once the memorandum is endorsed by the Rights and Privileges Committee, he will table a motion on the formation of the PSC on the first day of the Dewan Rakyat meeting on Oct 3.

Nazri said the PSC will have six months to deliberate on the framework.

The PSC announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently to put to rest any form of suspicion of manipulation of the election roll will comprise nine MPs – five from BN, three from the Opposition and an independent – and will be chaired by a cabinet minister.

Asked if the PSC will cease its duty should there be early elections, Nazri said: “That is not my problem. My concern is forming the committee to look into all the proposals given by the public and to work within the period of the Parliament, which should expire in April 2013. That is the perimeter that I’m working on because I don’t know when the elections will be held.

“We are looking into these things as a preventive measure. It doesn’t mean the polls before this under the present laws have been unfair. For example, there have been allegations that there were incidents of double voting but they have not been proven. However, the PSC is a preventive measure to stop these things from happening.

“What is the point of having a select committee if we don’t look into all these. We don’t want, as they claim, to be doing window dressing. We will look at this from the point of prevention.

On calls by the Opposition that its leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim head the committee instead of a minister, Nazri said it is easier for a minister to head the committee as he would have easier access to government departments.

“It will be much easier for the minister to give instructions to the civil servants. I think it’s a psyche that it is easier for civil servants to receive instructions from a minister, rather than someone else.

“Also, the chair must command the respect of the committee and we are in the opinion that in past practices, having a minister as the chair makes the work of the select committee much easier,” he added.