The Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching today questioned whether or not the Election Commission had used taxpayer’s money to help BN win most of the by-elections held from 2010 onwards.

Teo notes that the last by-election of 2009 - Bagan Pinang - saw the government spending RM449,485 but this figure more than doubled to RM1.2 million for the subsequent Hulu Selangor by-election in April 2010.

Acknowledging that parliamentary seats like Hulu Selangor could incur higher costs for the government, she points out that pre-2010 by-election seats for other Parliament seats saw the government spending less than RM500,000 each time.

These seats are Permatang Pauh (2008), Kuala Terengganu (2009) and Bukit Gantang (2009). All seats were won by the opposition.

“Seeing as how BN has won six out of the seven by-elections since 2010, we have a right to know if the EC has abused their power and utilised taxpayers’ monies to ensure victory for BN in these by-elections,” she said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

Discrepencies in figures

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz revealed that the government had spent a total of RM11.2 million on the 16 by-elections held from 2008 till now.

Meanwhile, Teo, who is also DAP assistant national publicity secretary, pointed out that there were discrepencies in figures quoted by Nazri yesterday.

She points out that Nazri had told the Dewan Rakyat in 2009 that the government spent RM284,324.79 for the Bagan Pinang by-election but the figure mentioned yesterday was RM449,485.

In addition, Teo asked whether the RM4,636,900 sought by the EC to cover cost of four by-elections – Batu Sapi, Hulu Selangor, Sibu and Galas – were accounted for in the expenditure quoted by Nazri.

She said the EC had sought RM1,397,200 to cover costs for the Batu Sapi by-election but Nazri’s figure only states RM1,290,000.

“So which is the correct figure?” she asked.