BERSIH 2.0 today unveils a new line-up for the GE14 Hall of Shame on Election Offences, which lists out the top 10 electoral offenders up to 26th April 2018.
The second 10 inductees into the GE14 Hall of Shame (in no specific order), selected from over 300 verified reports up to and including April 26 are as below (for more details, see Appendix 1):
1) (5-Star Award of Shame) Hashim Abdullah, Chairman of Election of Commission: For the hundreds of complaints received on problems with the electoral roll, including people being registered without their knowledge, voters being removed from the electoral roll and voters being transferred to distant constituencies. In addition to this, Hashim also is inducted for announcing arbitrary restrictions on free campaigning days before nomination, including limiting pictures and logos on campaign materials.
2) P. Kamalanathan s/o. P. Panchanathan of BN: For repeatedly treating voters with food, groceries and petrol.
3) Afif Bahardin of PKR: For using Penang State Government programs to give handouts, such as hampers, to voters in Seberang Jaya.
4) Abu Bakar Sidekh of UMNO: For repeated treating of voters in Seberang Jaya, including giving out rice, hampers, tables and chairs and other essentials while campaigning.
5) Musa Aman of UMNO: For giving out 155 motorcycles to entrepreneurs in Sandakan.
6) Shahanim Mohd Yusuf of UMNO: For giving away money to voters at a BN event in Taman Keladi on 23 April 2018, then claiming it was her allocation as a Senator when parliament was officially dissolved on April 7.
7) Noh Omar of UMNO: For using the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government (KPKT) to hold campaign events in Gombak. He gave out donations to zakat recipients (19 April), ang paus to local residents (25 April) and used the Program Transformasi Sosial DUN Gombak Setia to campaign against incumbent Gombak MP Azmin Ali (19 April).
8) Jaspal Singh of MIC: For repeated bribing and treating of voters in Bukit Selambau, Kedah. In house to house visits, he gave out food, essentials and money to voters.
9) Hamzah bin Zainudin of UMNO: For repeated bribery and treating of voters in Larut, including giving out free petrol and buckets, RM50,000 to 250 zakat recipients and RM3000 to 200 people at a BizFair.
10) Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob of PAS: For repeatedly using Kelantan State Government machinery to hold PAS events, including giving religious leaders money in a hall covered with PAS flags with the Kelantan State Government logo on 16 April 2018 at the Pusat Tarbiyah Islamiyah Kelantan.
For this week, the chairman of the Election Commission, Tan Sri Mohd Hashim bin Abdullah, earned a special 5-Star Award of Shame for failing to clean up the electoral roll properly, which led to many public complaints and call into question the integrity of the elections. He is also being held responsible for the arbitrary and unfair changes of election regulations without consultation at the eleventh hour of the nomination day.
We are appalled that the conduct of undue influence of voters through various forms of bribery continues unabatedly with the majority of the cases involving politicians from Barisan Nasional, especially its main component party – UMNO. On the opposition side, the Menteri Besar of Kelantan has been found to have abused the Kelantan State Government machinery to campaign for PAS. Afif Bahardin of PKR and a caretaker executive councillor of the Penang State Government, has been found to be dishing out goodies to voters in government events.
As the election campaign has officially started after the nomination day yesterday, BERSIH 2.0 call on all political parties and their candidates to campaign on their manifesto and policies that they will implement when they come into power, rather than resort to bribery, dishing out of goodies and threats in getting support of voters.
As the Election Offences Act will also kick in on April 28, BERSIH 2.0 will monitor even more closely on the conduct of all stakeholders, especially the Election Commission, political parties and candidates.
New inductees to the Hall of Shame will be announced every Friday, up to 9th May 2018. To view of map of electoral offences, please visit aduan.pemantau.org/map
BERSIH 2.0 urges anyone who witnesses an election offence to report online 1) at aduan.pemantau.org, 2) through WhatsApp on 011-17721546 or 3) call 03-79314444. It is necessary for perpetrators of these offences to be called out and held accountable so that the principles of clean and fair elections are upheld throughout the 14th General Elections.
KELUAR MENGUNDI, KALAHKAN PENCURI.
Issued by:
BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee