Problem with polls petitions is not law, but judges

COMMENT Ever since Pakatan Rakyat declared its intention to challenge the results of the 13th General Election (GE 13)- by far the dirtiest in history – there has been a deluge of pessimism by lawyers over the chances of success of such legal challenges. The reasons for such pessimism range from the historical low rate…

Umno Baru is not invincible

A schoolchild knows that when conducting scientific experiments, a definite conclusion cannot be made if the analyses and observations are based on flawed data. In a post-mortem of GE13, it is a fallacy for experts or analysts to report on trends, when their assumptions are based on a set of doctored evidence. Anyone who is…

The Opposition’s new mandate

JUNE 18 — Thousands of Malaysians voted abroad during the 13th general election. Many more returned from Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, London and Taiwan, traditionally places with large numbers of Malaysians, to exercise their right to suffrage on May 5th. This is a peculiar phenomenon. Why do Malaysians who have found greener pastures abroad feel…

EC has admitted wrongdoing so Aziz should go

The Election Commission (EC) chairman’s regret over the failure of indelible ink used in Election 2013 shows they are guilty of wrongdoing and should resign, Bersih co-chair Datuk A. Samad Said said today. He said the admission by Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf confirmed the May 5 general election did not proceed in a…

EC SHOULD BE SACKED!

Deadline for submitting election petition to challenge election results in the recent polls ended yesterday, with a record 60 petitions filed by both sides of the political divide. While election petitions have traditionally been filed by the opposition, this time 21 of these petitions came from Barisan Nasional, protesting the results announced by the Election…

A new Malaysia – post GE13

Politicians should realise from GE 13 that real power now lies in the hands of the Rakyat, says Henry Loh. GE 13 has produced some very interesting statistics. The voter turnout saw a new record: 84.61 per cent of voters cast their ballots votes out of 13.2m registered voters. Of the valid votes cast (i.e.…

Health Ministry: No indelible ink safety report provided

The Health Ministry has apparently not provided any safety report on the indelible ink, nor has the Election Commission (EC) asked for such a report, according to Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam. He said this when asked if it is true that the active ingredient in the ink – silver nitrate – had to be…

Regressive polls reactions

QUESTION TIME The reactions to the elections by Barisan Nasional and Umno in particular and related organisations is nothing short of shocking. It reflects an alarming and regressive move towards hardline stances which are blatantly racist and with complete disregard to what the election results themselves indicate the electorate wants. Considering that the majority of…

Time on whose side? – The Economist

Angry at an unjust defeat, Malaysia’s opposition has reasons to be hopeful IN JAIL, Anwar Ibrahim read a lot of Shakespeare. To understand Malaysian politics, the opposition leader says, you have to know Macbeth, a tragedy of overweening political ambition. For the government, the ambition defacing the country’s politics is that of Mr Anwar himself,…

Do election petitions really work?

ANALYSIS The 13th general election held on May 5 set a number of records, one of it being the highest number of people turning up to vote. This election is now expected to set yet another record that is not going to look good for Malaysia in the face of the rest of the world:…