Media Statement
Pathetic State Of Parliament
What is even more deplorable is that it took only 32.6 per cent of the MPs to pass the Bill, which is clearly a minority. This doesn't reflect well on the sense of responsibility on the part of the majority of MPs.
Rais Yatim's assurance that the Election Commission will settle for a "reasonable sum" as deposit for candidates wishing to contest the elections sound rather dubious. Why couldn't that "reasonable sum" be stipulated in the Bill and remove the doubt once and for all?
As long as the ceiling of RM20,000 is there, it would be reasonable to conclude that this will be the sum to be determined as reasonable deposit for elections at some future date. The effect would be to exclude well-meaning individuals who are not well-off from the electoral process and confine it to the wealthy who can afford to be care-free in splashing their ringgit.
This belief is further reinforced by the requirement for candidates to deposit a further RM10,000 to ensure that posters and banners are removed after the election - which was not the case before the amendment.
P. Ramakrishnan
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A very important Bill pertaining to the Elections could only command the attendance of 44.6 per cent out of the 193 elected members of parliament. This is the pathetic state of our parliament - even parliamentarians don't take parliamentary proceedings seriously.