The Illegalized Street-Walks......

The Illegalized Street-Walks......

The initial effect and/or impact of Bersih's illegalized street walks toward the Indoor Stadium (09.07.2011) had already began which can be seen from (pro-UMNO) NST first-page headline (12.07.2011) entitled: "Election Commission to improve voting system". 

Another profound impact of Bersih's street-walks was evidenced by the positive statement made by Zaki Zahid  (member of  UMNO's Youth executive council) who was interviewed by ABC Radio recently.  He said he was considering sitting down with representatives from Pakatan to talk about Bersih's-eight-demands for electoral reform.  Zaki Zahid opined that dialogue and debate were ways forward for younger generations. Whether the plan take effect or otherwise in the near future remain to be seen.

Albeit sketchy in nature, 'the thing (news and responses) speak for itself ' on the 'need' or 'demands', and 'warnings' for political reforms to facilitate 'greater transparency and fairer democratic election process' were already in the streets.  

Report  (on neutral) responses or messages from Malaysian Bar President Lim Chee Wee, and Human Rights Committee of Malaysia (Suhakam) Commissioner Muhammad Sha'aoni Abdullah were expressions of public support for  the EC over its willingness to improve the voting system. Tacitly the responses also pointed out to the need for electoral reforms per 'demands' already made by Bersih.

 Although the 'demand or request for electoral reforms' came sectional-ly from the opposing camp called Bersih, the 'demand' or 'request' (which transformed into recent street-request)  was still "peoples' request" by and large.

 

As "peoples' request", it is in the public interest that the request (for electoral reforms by the people for the people) be considered in the context of "people first, performance now" - a core principle in Najib-1Malaysia's national performance philosophy. It follows that it is the expectation of many concerned Malaysians that the EC pursue its tasks dutifully and independently without any fear or favour from anyone wearing whatever colour of his/her shirts may be.

When and in what forms the electoral reforms to be pursued by the EC higly depended on the nature of the eight-points reform proposed by Bersih group viz-a-viz acceptance or rejection by the ruling group.

In so far as Sarawak and Sabah are concerned, such electoral reforms must not be confined exclusively on improving postal voting system. Electoral reforms  must also include reviews and  improvements on electoral system affecting sub-urban areas and in particular rural constituencies. 

As I see it, such electoral reforms must also focus on three main areas described below.

1. The 'relatively new' or current system devised by the Election Commission (EC) in lumping names of registered voters in the electoral rolls by polling stations which cancelled  the previous system in listing registered voters according to their longhouses or kampongs facilitated registration of phantom voters (i.e imported-voters who were not actual residents of the longhouses or kampongs and who had no connection  with the constituencies except as "fixed-deposit" for candidates who sponsored  them during election for money-sake).  

In all fairness, the EC must revert back to the pervious listing of registered  voters by longhouses, kampong or villages to ensure that registered voters were  genunine residents or non-residents with birth, marriage and home-village  connections. Through the previous system, local residents/voters were in position to identify the presence of registered phantom voters in the electoral rolls and lodge written complaint to the EC about registration of phantom voters.

2. The current practice of vote-counting by polling stations on the spot  after the closing of voting time (in rural areas) is convenient as well as money-and-time saving. However, the practice defiles secrecy ethics and making a mockery of the principle of fairness in demcratic election.

By such system of vote-counting, it is almost 100% certain to to find out "who-voted-who" under vote-buying-winning strategy termed as "Pre-paid", "C.O.D", and "Post-paid" method reinforce by "veiled threats" on defaulters.

The system breeds money politics and corrupt practices. The system also encourage the use of political and criminal intimadation on voters in rural areas during election period, and political victimization or supression post election time.

To safeguard or reduce occurances of such malpractices is to go back to the old or previous centralized-counting system (however inconvenient and time taking the process may be) whereby tallying of votes were conducted according to boxes, and then mixed-up well before the process of  vote-verification (i.e putting ballot papers accordingly into baskets alllocated to respective candidates) after which the  votes were conunted and tallied as the last two stages.

3. Vote-counting ought to done during day time  from early mornig to avoid  technically questionable incident of "padam api" or "power failure" at night. Occurrence of darkness in counting center tends to undermine transparency in vote-counting process.