EC rejected Suhakam to observe elections

PETALING JAYA - There is no need for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to monitor and observe GE14 as there are already enough international and independent observers, says the Election Commission (EC).

Its chairman Tan Sri Hashim Abdullah (pic) said on top of this, the law also allowed candidates and parties to select their own agents to be observers.

"In the 14th General Election, we estimate that more than 200,000 agents of candidates and parties will be involved," he said in a statement on Friday (April 27).

Hashim said as a free and fair body that conducts the general election, the EC will ensure that every process will be carried out transparently and fairly without the interference of any party.

image: https://content.thestar.com.my/smg/count/FCID=3652/viewid=88147852179/random=54274537389/network=SMG/site=TSOL/area=TSOL.News.Nation/pagetype=StoryPage/platform=desktop/size=videoinread/position=atf

image: https://content.thestar.com.my/smg/settag/name=lotame/tags=Int_Sports_Badminton,Demo_Age_13to17_enr,Int_Sports,Demo_Age_65plus_enr,Demo_Age_55to64_enr,all,Int_Sports_Football,Int_Sports_SportsEvents,Demo_Age_45to54_enr,Demo_Gender_Female_enr,Demo_Age_25to34_enr,Demo_Gender_Male_enr,Demo_Age_35to44_enr


He noted that the process of conducting the elections was done by members appointed by the King and similarly, so were Suhakam's members.

He said it was therefore inappropriate that a party whose members were elected by the King and had a specific jurisdiction under the Federal Constitution, would monitor another party that was also appointed by the King and had its own jurisdiction.

He added that the EC respected the importance of human rights as enshrined by the law and that it had never stopped any citizen from exercising that right, which is to participate in the democratic process of the country as given by the Federal Constitution.

In a statement on Thursday (April 26), Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail said that the EC had informed them that their application to monitor the election was denied, meaning they would not be allowed inside polling stations.

He said Suhakam "cannot comprehend this decision" as they were told that there would be international observers during GE14.