MP blasts 'unholy conspiracy' over PR voters
Published: Aug 3, 2011 10:07 AM | Updated: Aug 3, 2011 9:48 PM
While the government has yet to explain claims that permanent resident (PR) holders have been accorded full voting rights, DAP warned that BN will blatantly cheat its way to victory, making the 13th general election the "dirtiest election in Malaysia's history".
While the government has yet to explain claims that permanent resident (PR) holders have been accorded full voting rights, DAP warned that BN will blatantly cheat its way to victory, making the 13th general election the "dirtiest election in Malaysia's history".
DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua (right) said that the reports published by Malaysiakini yesterday suggest an “unholy conspiracy” between BN, the Election Commission (EC) and the National Registration Department (NRD) to cheat their way to victory in the next polls.
"The rumours have been swirling intensely for the past few months that BN is registering foreign workers and permanent residents as voters for the coming general election... However, it was the reports in Malaysiakini yesterday (that) provide hard evidence that foreign permanent residents have been granted voting rights in Malaysia.
"What was perhaps more shocking was that within a matter of four hours, the status of the dubious new voters were immediately changed from permanent residents to citizens of this country in the NRD database,
"Essentially, these foreigners first secured their permanent residency, then became voters and subsequently (were) granted their citizenship," said Pua.
The MP for Petaling Jaya Utara pointed out that the flagrant abuse of the system proves that the biometric voter verification system proposed by the EC to prevent 'phantom voters' is a complete non-starter.
"If even our NRD system can be tampered with so blatantly, there is no credible assurance that the government can provide that the biometric system proposal worth hundreds of millions of ringgit will be clean, transparent and secure," he said.
Pua claimed that the actions of the relevant authorities closely followed the prime minister's rallying cry in May 2011 for BN to win at all costs.
"While the results of 2008 took BN by surprise, they are now leaving nothing to chance and would use all tricks in the book to maintain their stranglehold on power as well as to recapture the states lost to Pakatan Rakyat," said Pua, citing the covert 'Project M' in Sabah where citizenship was awarded to foreigners in a massive scale to cement Umno's power in the state.
He called on Malaysians who are united in seeking free and fair elections to work "doubly hard" against BN’s electoral malpractices.
"And Malaysians seeking to achieve change in the next general election will have to work triply hard to convince those who are still in doubt over the need for change to overcome the uneven playing field (that is) in favour of BN," Pua added.
EC changes 'Mismah' status in draft electoral roll
PR voters: Pakatan MPs want emergency sitting
NRD: Mismah a PR for 29 years, citizen since 2011
Chinese left out of rolls, claims Selangor PAS
PAS: 1,100 PR-holders in S'gor electoral roll
EC denies permanent residents enlisted as voters
Selangor sets aside RM1mil to check election fraud
Voters' lobby group ticks off 'ignorant' Najib
DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua (right) said that the reports published by Malaysiakini yesterday suggest an “unholy conspiracy” between BN, the Election Commission (EC) and the National Registration Department (NRD) to cheat their way to victory in the next polls."The rumours have been swirling intensely for the past few months that BN is registering foreign workers and permanent residents as voters for the coming general election... However, it was the reports in Malaysiakini yesterday (that) provide hard evidence that foreign permanent residents have been granted voting rights in Malaysia.
"What was perhaps more shocking was that within a matter of four hours, the status of the dubious new voters were immediately changed from permanent residents to citizens of this country in the NRD database,
"Essentially, these foreigners first secured their permanent residency, then became voters and subsequently (were) granted their citizenship," said Pua.
The MP for Petaling Jaya Utara pointed out that the flagrant abuse of the system proves that the biometric voter verification system proposed by the EC to prevent 'phantom voters' is a complete non-starter.
"If even our NRD system can be tampered with so blatantly, there is no credible assurance that the government can provide that the biometric system proposal worth hundreds of millions of ringgit will be clean, transparent and secure," he said.
Pua claimed that the actions of the relevant authorities closely followed the prime minister's rallying cry in May 2011 for BN to win at all costs.
"While the results of 2008 took BN by surprise, they are now leaving nothing to chance and would use all tricks in the book to maintain their stranglehold on power as well as to recapture the states lost to Pakatan Rakyat," said Pua, citing the covert 'Project M' in Sabah where citizenship was awarded to foreigners in a massive scale to cement Umno's power in the state.He called on Malaysians who are united in seeking free and fair elections to work "doubly hard" against BN’s electoral malpractices.
"And Malaysians seeking to achieve change in the next general election will have to work triply hard to convince those who are still in doubt over the need for change to overcome the uneven playing field (that is) in favour of BN," Pua added.
EC changes 'Mismah' status in draft electoral roll
PR voters: Pakatan MPs want emergency sitting
NRD: Mismah a PR for 29 years, citizen since 2011
Chinese left out of rolls, claims Selangor PAS
PAS: 1,100 PR-holders in S'gor electoral roll
EC denies permanent residents enlisted as voters
Selangor sets aside RM1mil to check election fraud
Voters' lobby group ticks off 'ignorant' Najib
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