--- On Mon, 4/22/13, leo nathan <leo_n...@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: leo nathan <leo_n...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fw: EC tries to stop Ambiga from discussing politics
To:
Date: Monday, April 22, 2013, 6:57 AM
To:
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 11:55 AM
Subject: EC tries to stop Ambiga from discussing politics
EC tries to stop Ambiga from discussing politics
BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
APRIL 21, 2013KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The Election Commission (EC) allegedly
attempted to bar Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan from speaking about politics at a
church in Seremban today, even threatening legal action against the polls
reform activist.
Writing about the incident on her Twitter account, the Bersih 2.0 co-chairman
said during the event at the Church of Visitation, an officer with the EC told
her she could be charged under Section 27 of the Election Offences Act 1954.
"SPR officer came to me and said no poetical speeches or they would charge me.
I said go ahead," she wrote, using the Malay acronym for the EC. Ambiga later
corrected her posting to read "political speeches".
According to the well-known former Bar Council president the section of the law
used by the officer was only applicable to candidates standing for election.
"I am not one," Ambiga (picture) pointed out in another posting.
Section 27 of the Election Offences Act 1957 stipulates that: "Every person who
commits an illegal practice shall, on conviction by a Sessions Court, be liable
to a fine of five thousand ringgit and, subject to any specific provision to
the contrary in any written law relating to any election, shall by conviction
until the expiration of five years from such conviction become incapable of
being registered or listed as an elector or of voting at any election under
this Act or of being elected at any election, and if at that date he has been
elected at any election, his seat shall be vacated from the date of such
conviction."
Ambiga added that in her response to the "high handed" officer, she suggested
that the EC act on vote-buying and other polling discrepancies.
Despite the EC "intrusion" and heavy police presence, however, Ambiga said the
event, a talk on voters rights, went on smoothly.
"Seremban rocks!" she concluded.
The EC has repeatedly warned Ambiga and the polls watchdog group Bersih 2.0 not
to disrupt the coming election, alleging that the group's campaign to employ
citizen observers would only hamper the polling process.
A total 13,268,002 Malaysians registered on the roll and are eligible to vote
in the 13th general elections, touted to be a tight race between a stronger
three-party opposition pact and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition for federal
power.
Of that figure, 12,992,661 voters will cast their ballot on May 5 while
Malaysians registered to vote by post, including those living and working
abroad, will get to cast their ballots earlier on April 28, a Sunday.
The EC has listed 2,954 Malaysians abroad as absentee voters.
Security personnel and their spouses from the armed forces and police force are
also eligible to vote by post. The military voters number 161,251 while
policemen make up 111,136 votes.
BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the dissolution of Parliament on
April 3, four years to the date from when he took office in 2009, replacing Tun
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as prime minister mid-term after the Penang lawmaker led
Barisan Nasional (BN) to its worst performance since 1963.
The 13-party coalition lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament as
well as five states in Election 2008.
A total of 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats will be contested. Sarawak
will sit out this round of elections as the Borneo state went to the polls in
2011.
