EC IS BOGGED DOWN BY 'REAL' CLOUT?

SABAH Progressive Party (SAPP) said the Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders were behind the last minute cancellation of the use of indelible ink during the last 12th general election.

Its Deputy President Datuk Eric Majimbun said they (BN) had a hand in the cancellation of the proposal to use the ink which was recommended by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC).

"No Wonder all these years the Election Commission (EC) could not function without the present government's order. The indelible ink cost more than RM2 million have now gone to the drain," he said in a statement, here.

Eric who is also the Member of Parliament for Sepanggar said he wondered whether the cancellation was due to security or other mischievious reasons.

He further said that it is everyone guess what the measures EC would employ on electoral reforms to be used in the coming general election.

He said the EC secretary Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria's statement that the EC falls administratively under the Prime Minister’s Department and not under the purview of Parliament had clearly explained where the order to cancel the use of the ink came from.

Eric added that the EC, it appears, is bogged down by 'real' clout.

"This is very disturbing and disheartening.What an amaze EC does not fall under the purview of Parliament," he added.

He went on saying that in a democratic country, a commission normally comes directly under the purview of Parliament.

However,the Malaysian EC need the government to approve recommendations proposed by the PSC on electoral reforms before implementing them.

Recently, EC deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar reportedly said the federal government must approved the PSC’s recommendations before they can be implemented.

He said that “even a small change in regulation” would need to be approved by the government, although he agreed with observers that some recommendations such as the use of indelible ink did not require amendments to the law.

Wan Ahmad’s comments followed PSC chairman, Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Ongkili’s statement that the PSC committee would table its full report which could include more proposals for electoral reforms in March or early April next year.