Tindak Malaysia, an organisation committed to electoral reform, reminds all stakeholders in the electoral process to be mindful and tactful in their actions.
This statement comes in light of recent claims made by Shamsul Iskandar Akin, an aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who alleged he was instructed by the PM not to pursue a recount of the voting results in Bagan Datuk during the 2022 general election.
As an organisation dedicated to electoral reform, we are deeply concerned by these claims and their ramifications in potentially undermining faith in the election process.
The right to call for a recount is well within the discretion of a candidate regardless of any consideration from the political party.
As one of the candidates for the parliamentary seat of Bagan Datuk, it is unacceptable to simply disregard the trust of the voters who cast their ballot for him by saying he had not acted fully within his right as a candidate in the election, regardless of the political consideration he was facing.
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These claims provided grounds for the public to be seriously concerned about electoral integrity especially when the Bagan Datuk seat was one of the hotly contested seats during the last general election. If these claims are not properly addressed, it may further contribute to the erosion of trust in the electoral process and political fatigue among the public.
Zahid Hamidi won the Bagan Datuk seat with 16,578 votes against Shamsul Iskandar of PKR (16,230), Faiz Na’aman of Bersatu (8,822) and Tawfik Ismail (226). Zahid’s winning majority was 348 while the rejected vote count was 748.
Any objections that are well within an election candidate’s rights should have been raised with the Electoral Commission. Our electoral laws protect the rights of the election candidate, which includes the regulation for a recount of votes.
It is specifically stated under Regulation 25(13) of the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981, which allows the candidate or his agent to call for a recount if the difference between the number of votes by electors for the leading candidate and the number of votes by electors for the next leading candidate is four per centum or less of the total number of votes by electors.
Provided that the recount shall not take into account rejected ballot papers and spoilt ballot papers.
Tindak Malaysia calls on Shamsul to clarify these claims, as they hold significant weight in shaping public perceptions of the electoral process, and it is essential to uphold the integrity of our democratic institutions and to reinforce public trust in the electoral system. – Tindak Malaysia
Danesh Prakash Chacko is the director of Tindak Malaysia.
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