Aliran is totally disappointed with the Election Commission for not displaying any sense of fairness and justice in allowing for less than 10-day campaign period.
This is grossly inadequate and raises grave doubts regarding the Commission's impartiality.
We are equally concerned that the Commission did not ensure a fair level playing field for the opposition. There is hardly any time for printing of posters and for mounting an effective campaign. It doesn't take great intelligence to realise this.
Fixing polling day on a working day is yet another absurdity and according to thinking Malaysians, it is intended to deny a high voter turn up, which may be to the advantage of the opposition. A lower turn up will be in the interest of the BN and therefore, it is argued, wider participation in the electoral process has to be discouraged to assist the BN.
If it is the Election Commission Chairman's concern that the country should not be without a government for too long - and therefore the polling had to be fixed as soon as possible -- it is misconceived and totally misplaced. There is no justification to sustain this view. The Constitution allows for a 60-day interim period and a care-taker government is in place. It is not as though nobody is in charge of the day-to-day affairs.
Aliran calls upon the government to declare November 29 a public holiday to make the 10th General Election meaningful and to convince the rakyat that the BN is serious about democracy and the electoral process.
P. Ramakrishnan
President
12 November 1999