Friday, February 13, 2009

SPR Independent?


The Election Commission (SPR) has just announced that nomination day for the vacant Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and Bukit Selambau state seat will be held simultaneously on March 29. If there is a contest, voting will be held on April 7. This is probably the longest period in the history of election in Malaysia to hold a by-election after a seat was vacant.

The late Bukit Gantang MP passed away on 9 Feb 2009. It will take 58 days before the voters of the constituency get to elect their new MP. The law allows up to 60 days to hold an election after a seat is vacant or after Parliament is dissolved. In last year's general election, it took the SPR only 25 days to hold the election after Parliament was dissolved. The fact as below:

Dissolution of Parliament: 13th February 2008
Nomination Day: 24th February 2008
Election Day: 8th March 2008 (Saturday)

The SPR Chairman owes the Malaysian public and in particular the voters of Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau an explanation as to why they need such a long period to hold the by-election in both constituencies?

Were they purposely fixed a date later than the UMNO General Assembly so that UMNO leaders in particular their in-coming President Datuk Seri Najib Razak can be spared of any humiliation in case BN lost in the by-election? For the record, UMNO General Assembly will convene from March 24 to 28. Do you think it was a co-incident that nomination falls one day after the UMNO General Assembly?

DAPSY slams the Election Commission for acting in the most unprofessional manner and reinforced the perception that it is not in any way, independent.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The law allows SPR 60 days to call for by-election.

Even if SPR calls it on the 8th Apr 2009, it is still within acceptable jurisdiction.

A law is still a law, until we amend it.

P130 voter.

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha !!! buy election is to be held on 7th April ????

oh yes ABB will officially step down in march hor.............. then C4 will officially take over lah....tat will save ABB the blushes & face as ABB is well aware they are not going to win tis buy elections anyway , then C4 will get the blame for both
defeats in tis by elections in kedah & perak respectively.....
clever move by sleepy head.....

Whatmeworry said...

Since when has the SPR been independent? They take instructions from BN just like all the other govt depts.

Anonymous said...

1)

The international trade minister Muhyddin mentioned today that the SPR has the prerogative to set the by-election date as the law provides up to 60 days.

The provision was drafted decades ago and perhaps during that time, things move slower.

Laws are drafted by humans and like fashion, it has to move along with time.

Anonymous said...

2)

what you know is that
a)BN administration control federal treasury and in a war of attrition over an extended period they hold the advantage

plenty of time to distribute dead man's angpow and do what they are supose to do in the first place like paving roads

b) It allows the UMNO internal politicking to finish before they get down to by-election.

c) sometime to assuage the anger of the people towards whatever they have done past few weeks like denying democracy to Perakians, bah to much to mention. I would expect plenty of nice words and deeds to go to Perak and Kedah. I guarantee no Kuil demolition for the next 50 odd days.

Anonymous said...

3) what we need to consider is what's with the right of the rakyat who are the tax payers?

why deny them the longest possible time to have a wakil rakyat to service and represent them?

Is this not a primary consideration? Also, why have the voting on a working day? As an employer, my production scheduling will be affected if I have to let my staff go to vote.

The interest of the public is clearly not the priority

Regards
Lee Wee Tak

Hausin said...

this is call BUY-election, not by-election.

Anonymous said...

Wee Tak ,

we pray tat kedah state govt will decalre 7th April as a public holiday so tat all voters will be able to exercise their powers on tat day.............

SCHK said...

1. who pay salary to them?

2.but the vice chairman tell the truth ...bcoz UM No got party election....

3. if they make it before the handover, but let PR won the 2 seats again, what will happen to C4 face?

3.