A recent exposé by Perak PKR has alleged that the Department of
Orang Asli Development (Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli or Jakoa) in Tapah
has been conducting mock voting sessions in order to “train” the local
Orang Asli to vote for the BN.
It is further claimed that not only were the Orang Asli forced to
cast their votes for the BN in full view of Jakoa officers and
Chenderiang assemblyman Dr Mah Hang Soon, they were subsequently
rewarded with 5kg of rice each.
As if this allegation of abuse of power and vote-buying is not bad
enough, Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has
been quoted by the media as saying that the alleged incident was a
“perfectly acceptable and normal” exercise of “voter education” by the
BN.
Wan Ahmad further justified the donation of rice in exchange for
votes as acceptable as he reasoned that it would only be an offence if
it is “given during the campaign period”.
Such a response by the EC is shocking and incredulous to say the
least. How can the EC, which is a public institution entrusted to
regulate elections in an unbiased manner, so boldly attempt to whitewash
such an unethical act, and on top of that one that was alleged to have
been conducted in collusion with a publicly-funded government
department?
Furthermore, is the EC actually saying that vote-buying is
acceptable as long as it is not done during an election campaign? How
does that make any sense at all? Can we therefore say that it is
acceptable for a student to cheat as long as he is not doing it during
an exam?
Clearly, the EC and the BN have no respect whatsoever for the
democratic rights of Malaysian citizens. But while it is expected for
the BN to attempt such Machiavellian chicanery, it is completely
unacceptable for the very institution that is tasked to protect our
electoral system to condone vote-buying and political corruption in the
guise of “voter education”.
These irresponsible remarks, coupled with earlier allegations
surrounding the chairman and deputy chairman’s membership of a certain
political party, have severely compromised the integrity of the EC.
There is now no way out but for the entire EC to resign in order to
preserve what little credibility is left of the institution.
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