Unresolved dispute over the Election Commission's (EC) credibility
The much-anticipated face-off between Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan and Khairy Jamaluddin last night resulted in an , with both parties taking turns to either trash or defend the country's election regulator.
On the one hand, Ambiga insisted on the EC's resignation, claiming the body's lethargic efforts and "lame excuses" for true electoral reform were proof that it could not be trusted.
Ambiga (left) and Khairy in thoughtful poses during their debate on April 25, 2012. — Picture by Jack Ooi
In response, Khairy said it was Ambiga who could not be trusted, saying her stubborn refusal to accept any effort taken by the EC proved that the civil society leader has been "misrepresenting" the reasons to hold Bersih 3.0 this Saturday.
"I came here tonight expecting a spirit of co-operation and reasoning.
"But ultimately, if you have already said we cannot work with the EC and want their resignation, then it is a foregone conclusion," he said.
The duo spewed countless figures and technical information to disprove one another, forcing the event into an exchange of reasons why the EC should or should not be believed.
They were perpetually interrupted by cheers and heckles from the highly-charged crowd of at least 1,000 spectators, many of whom were clear supporters of either contenders — Ambiga, the well-known civil society leader and Bersih co-chair, or Khairy, the fiery Oxford graduate and leader of the youths in the ruling Umno.
Neither, however, were announced the winner at the end of the intense 90-minute debate, the first such event to be held amid anticipation over Bersih's impending rally for free and fair elections this Saturday.
During the verbal duel, Khairy accused the election watchdog group of being pre-emptive and prejudicial to the EC's efforts for reform.
He disputed Bersih's claim that the EC had failed to satisfy the prime minister's reform pledges, insisting that at least seven out of the group's eight reform demands have either been implemented or are in the process of implementation.
"I put it to you, unlike Ambiga, that of the eight demands, seven have been met or are being addressed," he said.
"The electoral roll is being cleaned up, indelible ink implemented... the only thing is the 10-day campaign period.
"For free and fair access to media, as a Barisan Nasional (BN) MP, I support all parties given the same amount of time on all national media to tell the rakyat their policy platform and manifesto — let's be fair about that," he said.
Khairy added that many of the recommendations in the Parliamentary Select Committee's (PSC) final report were "time-bound", such as the three-month timeframe given for the EC to look into a suitable system for overseas voters.
"So why go out on the streets? I respect your right to go out but you are pre-judging and misrepresenting," he said.
But Ambiga disagreed, citing the 10 major problems in the EC's electoral roll as highlighted by academic Dr Ong Kian Ming in his Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) preliminary findings.
She noted that according to the study, there are at least 3.1 million voters whose IC addresses show different voting constituencies from the one which they are actually voting in.
"Also, there are about 65,455 foreigners on the electoral roll. A total of 106,743 cases of deletions and 6,672 cases of additions without public display to the roll from Quarter 4 2010 to Quarter 3 last year.
"The 3.1 million is very troubling because this information was actually given to the EC by the National Registration Department (NRD) in 2002 but the EC did nothing," she said.
"The 65,455 foreigners... some removed, some added without the rolls displayed... It leaves us with a lot of doubt over whether they are actually cleaning the roll," she added.
The former Bar Council chairman, who earned hoots from the crowd as she spoke, pointed out that the EC has only been harping on the existence of some 42,051 "doubtful voters" in the roll, which it discovered after its registry was cross-checked with the NRD's records.
"Don't forget, they even downplayed this figure, saying 0.3 per cent margin of error is nothing... This is highly irresponsible, given that in the election, the margins between winning and losing is very small.
"You could knock over the state government of Selangor with 42,000 votes," she pointed out.
In his rebuttal, Khairy said if the 42,051 were indeed fraudulent cases, the EC would not have put the voters' names on public display for three months after discovering them.
He said the voters were not non-existent but were merely those who had failed to update their IC records with the NRD.
"But Bersih would have you believe they are fraudulent," he charged, to loud applause.
Further to this, Khairy pointed out that during the three-month public display period, 1,248 cases came forward to confirm the names on the roll.
"If not a single one came forward, then I'd go with Ambiga... Strike them off. But they came forward, over 1,000 names," he said.
He pointed out that if the EC had decided to strike off the names of the 42,051 voters from the roll, they would have been denying these citizens their constitutional right to vote.
Ambiga, however, called this a "lame excuse", pointing out that election laws state that the EC must revise the supplementary roll once every three months by making house-to-house calls or sending notices requiring updated information from the voters.
"If no information is returned, they are entitled to strike out these names. Why not use it?
"On the one hand, they are violating the Constitution but when it comes to removing voters, they are suddenly coy and respectful of the Constitution," she said.
Both leaders also clashed in their views on overseas voting, with Khairy pointing out that the EC has three months to find a formula for the best voting system while Ambiga said this should have been done years ago.
"We have had Malaysians overseas for years. Why only now? And what is this about it being a logistical nightmare? They must have this sorted before the polls," she said.
Ambiga later agreed with Khairy to engage with the EC further on all outstanding issues regarding electoral reforms but said the discussion must be attended by MPs from both sides of the political divide.
But the leader repeatedly stressed on the need for reforms to be implemented before the coming polls or if this could not be done within months, then the election should be delayed.
Bersih is holding its third rally for free and fair elections at Dataran Merdeka from 2pm this Saturday.
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安美嘉指四万可疑选民冰山一角 王德齐
凯里却轰净选盟误导民众上街头
2012年4月25日
晚上11点22分
凌晨2点10分更新
距离净选盟428静坐抗议只剩不到72小时，逾4万可疑选民的问题今晚成为了净选盟联合主席安美嘉和巫青团团长凯里台上辩论的激烈交锋点之一。
安美嘉试图以选委会和国民登记局稽查所发现的4万2000名可疑选民，以及民间研究所揭发的邮寄选民、选民性别错乱等问题，来证明我国选举充满弊端，而这些问题只是冰山一角。
不过，凯里却出示净选盟的传单，紧咬净选盟指责这4万2000名可疑选民是选举"舞弊"（fraud）的说辞。凯里甚至争辩说，这些案件其实都是选民"没有更新身份证的问题"，并炮轰净选盟"误导事实"（misrepresentation of facts），来促使民众走上街头。
他也表示，这些案件充其量只是"例外个案"（exception），不能就此断定选举充满舞弊。
这4万2000名可疑选民都是去年由选委会和国民登记局联手调查得出，他们都是国民登记局记录里"不活跃"的公民，因此被怀疑可能已经逝世。
避谈大选之前落实改革
凯里也在辩论中频频扮演选委会的"辩护士"，并主动攻击对手，怒斥安美嘉（左图）和净选盟不愿信任选委会，拒绝通过坐下来会谈的方式讨论和解决问题，相反却诉诸静坐抗议来对抗。
尽管安美嘉点出现今选举改革最大的问题，其实是政府和选委会不愿明确保证会在来届大选之前落实所有改革建议，但是凯里却避谈这个问题，并且也自嘲不是首相，因此无权给予保证。
安美嘉和凯里今晚是受英文报章《马来邮报》邀请，在万达镇俱乐部礼堂针对选举改革问题进行面对面的激烈交锋。这场题为"选举改革是否足够"的辩论，总共吸引超过600名民众到场聆听，一些不得其门而入的民众甚至被迫站在礼堂外，通过直播电视来跟进辩论的发展。
辩论的主持人是演说者基金的代表莫哈末尤努斯（Muhammad Yunus Zakariah）。他一开始给予安美嘉和凯里15分钟表达立场，然后就接受观众的提问，让双方直接互动和对辩。
由于主持人并未多加限制安美嘉和凯里发言，因此整个辩论过程也显得火辣，双方频频针对多个问题针锋相对。
4万选民足让雪州变天
安美嘉一开始就叙述政治学者王建民通过"大马选民册分析计划"（Merap）所揭发的问题，来证明我国选民册充满弊端。这包括超过1000名选民超过100岁、19名选民在1900年之前出现、1万5855名选民选民册上的性别和身份证号码上的性别不同，以及16万7000名选民是在外国出生。她也强调，这些案件只是冰山一角。
她接着表示，这些案例其实还不包括选委会自行发现的选民册问题，包括4万2000名可疑选民，以及310万名选民没有在身份证上的地址投票。
"我关注的是选委会似乎只是关注这4万2000名可以选民的问题，相反有问题的选民却是超过300万。而且，他们一直淡化这4万2000名选民的问题，一直声称这是很小的数目，这是非常不负责任。"
"就如（政治学者兼净选盟委员）黄进发的研究，4万2000名选民就已经足以推翻雪州政府。"
她也指出，选民册的其他问题还包括邮寄选民，以及100万名海外选民被剥夺投票权的问题。
凯里轰安美嘉未审先判
不过，凯里随后发言时却反驳说，尽管双方都认同公平与干净选举的诉求，但是安美嘉发动428静坐抗议的决定，已经如同对政府正在推行的选举改革"未审先判"，抢先认为来届大选是最肮脏的大选。
他为政府辩护说，净选盟的8大选举改革诉求中，其实已经有7项已经获得国会特委会的落实或处理，只有一项是没有无法获得满足，就是净选盟要求最少21天竞选期，而国会特委会只是建议最少10天的竞选期。
他也出示净选盟的宣传传单，表示该联盟对于静坐抗议的理由，拥有"误导事实"的说法。
"安美嘉，为什么你要对这些改革未审先判，并走上街头？我捍卫你集会的自由，但是我并不支持你的呼吁。你为什么要未审先判？你为什么要预设立场？更重要的是，你已经误导人民为什么要走上街头！"
只是错在没更新身份证
凯里指出，传单当中其中一个误导的说法就是指责4万2000名可疑选民都是舞弊。他强调，这批可疑选民其实都是选委会自行要求国民登记局进行稽查，并且发现他们没有更新登记局里面的记录，但是净选盟已经一口咬定这些可疑选民是中央政府和选委会所犯下的舞弊，因此必须被剔除。
他表示，根据本身向选委会的了解，选委会其实已经展示可疑选民册长达3个月，总共有1248人挺身而出，其中55%选民证明他们还活着，而另外45%则由亲属证明已经死亡。他说，这些案例其实都是合法的案例，他们只不过是没有更新身份证，或是投报亲人的死亡。
"他们唯一做错的就是没有更新身份证资料，但是安美嘉却指责他们是舞弊选民，并要求剔除他们的名字。如果选委会真的剔除他们的名字，那么选委会将会抵触法律和宪法，否决他们宪赋的投票权力。"
"安美嘉，我要再问你，在这4万2000个例子当中，你能否告诉当地有哪一些案件是舞弊选民，还是他们有可能是合法选民？这个例子已经显示你安美嘉要求人民在这个星期六走上街头的理由是不真实，而且也是误导事实。
对此，安美嘉驳斥说，选委会至今仍称本身无法采取任何行动来清除这4万2000名可疑选民是一个站不住脚的借口，因为法律有授权选委会通过沿户拜访和发信通知的方式，来鉴定一名选民是否合法选民。
反讥卡立也没更新地址
她也重申，这些问题其实只是冰山一角，因为选民册还有很多的问题，包括300万名选民没有在身份证地址投票，以及尚在世的选民名字突然从选民册中消失。此外，国会特委会本身也曾建议要成立一个皇委会，来调查沙巴州外国选民的问题。
"如果不是有舞弊，为什么国会特委会要成立皇委会来调查沙巴州的问题？"
双方随后也继续把焦点转向雪州大臣卡立被选委会没有通知的情况下，就从雪州灵南区国会议席移至吉隆坡班台谷国会议席的争议。
凯里辩称，卡立真正投票的选区应该是班台谷，因为其八打灵16/2路的住址其实是属于吉隆坡范围内，所以当选委会开始使用电子地理执法系统之后，他们就作出纠正，把他移至正确的选区。
"我只是怪责选委会没有通知卡立。这并不是搬迁选民的问题，这只是你研究谷歌地图后，发现他其实是属于班台谷国会议席。"
他也趁机讥讽，卡立其实是安美嘉所指的310万名没有在身份证登记地址投票的选民。
"他已经不是住在八打灵16/2路，他现在是住在沙亚南官邸，他之前也住在白沙罗。如果连他都没有更换地址，你还能说什么？"
坚称民众受净选盟误导
尽管一名观众随后质疑凯里漠视更大的选举舞弊问题，但是凯里还是坚称，他认为民众已经受到净选盟的系列误导。
"我不是指你纯粹因为4万2000名可疑选民而走上街头，而是指你受到系列的误导而走上街头。我已经点出数个问题，包括4万2000名可疑选民、9342名选民好像卡立纠正选区的问题，以及310万名选民好像卡立不要更新地址的案例。"
"如果这些案例都是误导事实，那么其他的案件又如何？"
安美嘉则反驳说，凯里只是一味抨击她和净选盟"误导民众"，而她和凯里最大的分别就是后者一味相信选委会的说辞，而她并不对选委会抱有任何信任。
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