by Melissa Lee
As Malaysia's ruling BN coalition tightens its grip ahead of
snap elections it fears losing, polls watchdog group chief Ambiga Sreenevasan
found herself unable to gain entry into Sarawak, one of the states where the
most rampant electoral fraud is expected to take place.
Ambiga, the chairwoman for Bersih 2.0, failed in her bid to
challenge an order for her deportation issued on April 15 by the Sarawak
Immigration director. She was turned away at the airport on the eve of the
balloting day for the 10th state election on April 16.
On Thursday, the KL High Court (Appellate and Special Powers
division) dismissed her application for to initiate a judicial review over the
entry-ban. The judge asked her to re-file her application in Sarawak.
“It is a missed opportunity for the court to consider the
serious issue of abuse of power by the Sarawak state government in barring West
Malaysians from entry without a reason given or any basis. It was stated I
should file in Sarawak. How do I do that effectively since I am barred and my
counsel of choice will not be able to appear there?” Ambiga was reported as
saying.
Calls
for Bersih 2.0 or 3.0 to get moving again
A former Bar Council president, Ambiga hit the international
headlines last month when she and the Bersih2.0 organising committee
spearheaded a citizens march for free and fair polls that was harshly put down
by the Najib administration.
Although Bersih 2.0 has been outlawed, calls have begun
ringing in for a new watchdog group to continue pushing the authorities to
clean up the system, although at this point in time, it appears to be an
extremely tough uphill fight.
'Giant'
programming error
Prime Minister Najib Razak has marshalled the Election
Commision and National Registration Department together, and already, some
1,600 cases of dubious citizenships have been spotted by opposition parties.
Both the EC and the NRD, which is responsible for issuing the
identity cards needed to get into the voting booths, have insisted they did
nothing wrong and that the errors were either 'technical' or 'timing-related'.
"Rubbish. If one or two
cases, we can give them the benefit of doubt but when a bunch of a thousand
apears and all in a 'hot' constituency, you can forget it. It is deliberate and
if they say it is technical, the entire program must be full of bugs. All the
more reason for third-party independent checks, then," Eddie Wong, a PKR
stalwart and volunteer for the party's voter registration drive, told Malaysia
Chronicle.
Source : MC
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