The police have been told that they must provide "very good reasons" to the Election Commission should they decide to reject permits for public rallies during election campaigns.

EC chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said that, while the commission would have no powers to sanction the police if they fail to issue permits, it is seeking to persuade them that it would be in their own interests to comply with the proposed election code of ethics.

"The police must have very good reasons for rejecting any applications. It is important they should not be perceived to be restricting party campaigns as this would be a breach of the guidelines," he said.

The EC has lifted the 25-year ban on public rallies during the campaigning period and will leave it to the police to issue permits for such gatherings.

Abdul Rashid was speaking to reporters at his office in Putrajaya after chairing a five-hour session with representatives from opposition parties to discuss a proposal for a code of ethics for political parties during elections.

The proposed code will be enforced by a newly created 'joint' team made up of representatives from the local authority, the police, political parties and the EC itself.

Today's meeting was arranged for opposition parties, but only PAS, DAP and Keadilan leaders were present. A similar session was organised yesterday for Barisan Nasional representatives.

Action on complaints

Abdul Rashid noted, though, that those applying for permits should also do their part. In the past, many applications have had to be rejected because the forms were incomplete or wrongly completed.

The commission is currently thrashing out related matters with the police to avoid any possible violation of the code, which is to be implemented during the coming general election.

"The police have to listen to us because this (election) is our business. We tell people what to do and they must follow, unless they have a very good reason not to," he said.

"The moment someone complains to us, we will immediately act on it and do everything in our power to ensure that it is resolved before the election is over."

The EC will also raise matters pertaining to the role of the government and police powers, including those under the Police Act, the Penal Code and other related laws.

Minor alterations

Abdul Rashid also said both the BN and opposition parties were generally agreeable to the points in the proposed code, but had asked for minor changes to be made.

Opposition parties want changes in relation to the use of government machinery, official functions and public facilities for campaigning, including the use of party symbols at the events.

"The draft needs several slight alterations with regard to certain words/terms as well as to add another five or six items. It may be released to the public on Oct 1 after the fine-tuning is completed," he said.

The code will have to be debated and passed by Parliament before it can be enforced.

Abdul Rashid said he had also explained to all the parties about the powers and role of a caretaker government during the period between the dissolution of Parliament and the swearing in of the elected government.

"The caretaker government can only conduct normal administrative functions but this (interpretation).is very wide. If the opposition is unhappy with anyone's conduct, they can raise it with us," he said.

"However, it would still be best if a court ruling could specifically define the powers and role of a caretaker government, thus interpreting the federal constitution on this matter."

Watching the media

Meanwhile, the EC will invite media owners and editors for a 'luncheon talk' on Sept 30 to inform them of "unethical" campaign material which will be discouraged in broadcasts or publications during the election period.

On how the electronic and print media content would be monitored, he said the EC would respond immediately to any complaint of a breach of the code or about "objectionable" material.

"But at the same time, we respect their (media organisations) freedom to publish or air advertisements because they are running a business," he said.

If complaints are received about campaign-related advertisements in newspapers, the EC will weigh whether these are "objectionable" content based on the code. Warnings will be issued wherever warranted.

On the soon-to-be-established election enforcement teams, Abdul Rashid said these would monitor the situation on the ground. Each team will be headed by a senior police officer, who is empowered to make arrests for serious breaches.

PAS vice-president Mustafa Ali, speaking on behalf of DAP's Teresa Kok and Keadilan's Azmin Mohd Ali, said they were generally satisfied with the code and its aim in ensuring fair elections.

"But this does not mean that the democratic process (election) will be implemented to our satisfaction because we all know that the EC is not independent, and the constitution does not make this point clear."