PETALING JAYA: Bersih today said it was disappointed with EC deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar for accusing Bersih co-chair S Ambiga of “poisoning the people with things that are not true”.
In a statement today, the election watchdog said that Wan Ahmad had further alleged that “various quarters” were sowing a “mistrust doctrine.”
“We view his statements as malicious and irresponsible. They serve as a distraction from critical concerns raised by civil society and the urgent need for reform,” it said.
Bersih stressed that it has consistently pushed for reforms toward clean, free and fair elections.
“We have received complaints, including from overseas Malaysians, ranging from electoral irregularities and violence during campaigning to a lack of clarity on postal voting procedures.
“In the face of these concerns, demands to the public to put their confidence in the EC are misplaced without corresponding action to address shortcomings in the system,” said Bersih.
Bersih said that the EC could hardly accuse anyone of spreading a “mistrust doctrine” when the public can judge for themselves whether they ought to trust the electoral system.
Postal voting system needs improvement
“Rather than making wild allegations, the EC should acknowledge that Bersih’s electoral reforms will help ensure the elections are seen as transparent and free from suspicion.
“The lack of clarity on postal voting arose because of the last-minute effort by the EC to implement changes to postal voting regulations when it could have been done much earlier.
“We advise overseas Malaysians to preferably come home to vote if they are able to, and urge those who cannot, to vote by postal vote,” said Bersih.
It added that further reforms were needed to be made to improve the transparency and accountability of the postal voting system.
“Boycotting postal voting will not reduce the risk of fraud and will only make it easier for phantom voters to affect the results of the general election,” it said.
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