THE Election Commission must regulate the conduct of federal and state governments during elections to prevent the abuse of state resources and machinery, former Bersih chair Thomas Fann said.
This is so that the state does not have an unfair advantage over its opponents, he said.
Fann said ministers and state executive councillors must refrain from officiating at government functions in constituencies that are up for election.
Any government programmes in such places should instead be conducted by civil servants, said Fann, who is now chairman of democracy, human rights and citizen participation advocate group, Engage.
Government leaders who promise special allocations for said constituencies risk violating Section 10 of the Election Offences Act on bribery if they make the funding conditional on their candidate winning the election, he said.
Such conduct should be reported to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the case taken to the Election Court to vacate the seat, Fann said in response to a spate of funding announced on the Sungai Bakap by-election campaign trail in Penang.
Bersih chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said politicians have misinterpreted the concept of clean and fair elections.
He condemned the actions of Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, who had said that it was not wrong for him to hold programmes during election time in Sungai Bakap, which will vote for a new assemblyman on July 6.
Faisal said Ahmad’s actions were unethical and goes against the spirit of fair play.
He reminded politicians that it was immoral to use government resources and machinery during campaigning.
Faisal referred to an Election Court decision on June 27 last year to declare the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat vacant because of bribery during the campaign involving the state government.
He said all parties must adhere to the 3Cs (no campaign, no condition, no candidate) guideline at state events during polls.
He urged the government to make good its promises of electoral reforms for fair and clean elections. – July 3, 2024.
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