Ambiga: Repeal Section 9A if you've nothing to hide
Electoral reform group Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan has urged the government to repeal Section 9A of the Election Act 1958, as proof that there is "nothing to hide" in the electoral roll.
Electoral reform group Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan has urged the government to repeal Section 9A of the Election Act 1958, as proof that there is "nothing to hide" in the electoral roll.
She said that by doing so, the Election Commission can no longer give "unsatisfactory" answers regarding the roll and will need to prove that it is really clean as asserted.
"The problem with 9A is that (it makes) the EC the sole custodian of the electoral roll.
"So whenever we raise an issue about the roll, EC can give an answer which is not satisfactory but we are stuck with the answer.
"We cannot take it to court," she said, before endorsing and launching the "Repeal 9A" online campaign spearheaded by three Pakatan Rakyat MPs at the Parliament lobby today.
The MPs are PAS' Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin (right), PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and DAP's Klang MP Charles Santiago.
Camouflaged phantom voters
Charles, who has had challenges on the electoral roll rejected by the court because of the section said that 9A means the EC has "no legal responsibility".
"It creates a supra national organisation outside court oversight (and) can be used to camouflage fraudalent voters," he said. 
Prior to the general election, a voter in his constituency had complained that he found his name on the roll despite never registering to vote, and residing overseas, but failed to remove his name from the roll due to the legal issue.
Asked if the MPs had approached Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs Nancy Shukri (right), he said that the matter has been raised several times during Dewan Rakyat debates but no reply has been given by the government.
Section 9A was introduced in 2001 after the landmark Likas election petition, which saw the Kota Kinabalu High Court declare the electoral roll flawed and contained "phantom voters".
It then declared the 1999 constituency polls to be null and void.
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