Clear & Present Danger for Lim Kit Siang

Three weeks ago I posted Defeat the new Triad where I said: “Our national problem lies in three areas, in the Triad threatening us – no, not those Chinese samsengs (gangsters) but namely: the Police, Judiciary and the Electoral Commission."

We had lambasted the Police and urged in vain an AAB, who is famous not only for his elegant silence but his deafness as well, to come up with his promised IPCMC – though to be frank I wonder about the usefulness or effectiveness of an IPCMC with the abysmal state of corruption in our police force (admittedly not every officer is corrupt but it’s bad enough for us to generalise).

Then in the last couple of weeks our nation was nuked by an Anwar Ibrahim’s revelation of the Lingam videotape, though of course Anwar chose to do it in his usual style, ensuring in that process the judicial potty is stirred up - (‘potty’ as in poo container).

Now we are cursed by allegations of dodginess of the last of the tripodal terror, the new Malaysian Triad. Let’s take a trip to the Ipoh Timor parliamentary constituency, which the DAP has just revealed, has ‘grown’ by 8,463 new voters.

Now, the incumbent MP is none other than Uncle Lim Kit Siang, who in the 2004 general election defeated Ma Hwa’s (MCA) Thong Fah Chong by a majority of 9,774 votes.

Can you see the figures? DAP’s winning majority of 9,774 votes versus a new influx of mysterious new voters totalling (up to this 6 months stage only of) 8,463 – well, well well – that’s a new 4-D ekor number for you punters.

Lim Jnr, the Secretary-general of the DAP party detailed to us the breakdown of the sudden influx of new voters:

(1) The wholesale transfer all 2,231 voters in the Pengkalan Pegoh polling station in the Sungai Rapat state constituency/Gopeng parliamentary constituency to the Pasir Pinji state constituency/Ipoh Timor parliamentary constituency;

Have you got that – ‘wholesale transfer!’ Frightening, isn't it!

(2) A sudden increase in postal voters by 3,208 even though there is no new army camp or new police station;

You know what’s the general feeling about ‘postal voters’ and 3,208 new voters without even the decency of a plausible excuse like any nearby or new police or army camps too – hmmm, maybe the Phantom Army? And it’s not chickenfeed stuff either – 3,208 votes in the last winning majority of only 9,774 is pretty humongous stuff!

(3) The extraordinary increase in new voters or those transferred to Ipoh Timor - the figure stands at 3,024 new voters when it should typically be would be about 400 per quarter.

An unbelievable eight-fold increase in new voters. Mind you, I wasn’t entirely surprised by this geometric increase because over the past few months there were repetitive statements by the BN and particular UMNO in the papers that nearly (was it?) a million people haven’t registered yet.

When I read those repetitive BN 'lamentations', I felt my goosepimples came to attention. I had wanted to blog a warning on those ground prep for new increases in 'voters' but alas, I was too busy with other topics and has now allowed this to haunt me - not that my warnings would have stop what I had suspected though they might have increased opposition scrutiny of the EC's activities more..

And Lim Guan Eng sounded an ominous warning that it’s only half a year’s figures, meaning there’s more new voters of various denominations yet to come into Ipoh Timor.

Malaysiakini reported Election Commission Chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman explained that the transfer of voters from Sungai Rapat to Pasir Pinji was to rectify what had not been done in the last general election; and that the commission is legally empowered to do so.

However, the DAP is not happy because this was done without the knowledge of the voters or the elected representatives for the areas concerned.

“At the meeting yesterday, Tan Sri Rashid conceded that the EC Perak director was wrong to conduct the wholesale transfer of voters in a secretive and surreptitious manner without even informing the sitting member if Parliament and state assemblyperson,” Lim said.

“To insist that this is legal goes against constitutional provisions that provide that every delimitation exercise necessitating a change of polling stations must be approved by amendment of laws and by Parliament and the state assembly.”

Well, there’s always the OSA to support the EC’s secret manoeuvres, though it’s only in our wonderful election system that the EC acted and would undoubtedly act in mysterious secret and unaccountable ways.

In May this year I posted Penang UMNO's "2 for me, 1 for you"?, a discussion on gerrymandering in Penang.

I stated: ... in Malaysiakini … the DAP is complaining about our Election Commission (EC).

The complaint has to do with the alleged EC's ‘manipulation’ of the electoral boundaries in Penang to increase Malay-winning state seats to enhance UMNO's chances of taking over the state.

Law claimed that the ‘salamander-ing’ strategy (a gerrymandering tactic) is similar to UMNO tactics conducted in Sabah in recent years and Malacca about three decades ago. The two states are now in the firm claws of UMNO.

Well, Lim Kit Siang is obviously in danger, but what else can you expect when we are told that the EC works in a covert unaccountable fashion.

However, if we consider that voters turnout in Chinese dominated constituencies had been usually in the mid-70 percentile, the voters in Ipoh Timor must demonstrate a voting turnout of 100% to thumb their noses at the alleged nefarious exercise.

Don’t take the easy lazy way out, play mahjong and not front up by saying ‘Aiyah, no nid one lah, Uncle Lim sure win one’, because there is a clear and present danger that this time he may well not, an outcome that may not reflect the Ipoh Timor voters' true democratic preference.