Gov’t to seek peaceful end to Sabah standoff

MANILA, Philippines - The government is committed to ensuring a peaceful end to the standoff in Sabah involving some 200 mostly armed Filipinos claiming to be followers and guards of the Sultanate of Sulu, which was pressing its claim on the territory.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte voiced the government’s commitment in an interview yesterday over radio dzRB. Valte said an investigation into the incident would be launched as soon as the standoff is peacefully resolved.

She also said they have yet to confirm if the group had indeed gone to the secluded town of Lahad Datu to press the sultanate’s claim on Sabah. Malaysian police have set up a series of roadblocks along the route leading from Lahad Datu.

A statement bearing the letterhead of the Sultanate of Sulu said the Sabah incident “can reverberate and escalate in full scale war, which can catch the attention of international observers.”

Valte said the Palace had been apprised of the role of “certain personalities” in the incident but that it would be up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to identify them and determine “the entirety of the facts that are attendant to that incident.”

“At present, what we are paying attention really is for the situation to be peaceful and for no one to get hurt. And also, as mentioned by (Foreign Affairs) Secretary (Albert) del Rosario, we have been assured that the rights of the people there will be respected,” Valte said.

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“At this point, we don’t really want to engage in speculations about who these people are, what they are doing there. Perhaps, the primary concern now is their safety and to resolve the incident peacefully,” she said.

She said Del Rosario had received an assurance from his Malaysian counterpart Foreign Minister Anifah Aman that a peaceful approach to ending the standoff would be priority.

“The step to be taken is through peaceful negotiations and they are being encouraged to leave peacefully. So that’s the important thing for us,” Valte said.

Valte also said it would be up to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to address allegations that the group had resented being left out in the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, hence its decision to renew its claim on Sabah.

Kuala Lumpur is brokering the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF despite the Philippines’ standing claim on Sabah, which has been “dormant” for decades.

Habib Mujahab Hashim, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) central committee member and chairman of the Islamic Command Council, earlier said the armed men comprised the “Royal Army” of the Sultanate of Sulu.

Sabah is part of the Sultanate of Sulu leased to the British North Borneo Co. in 1878. In 1963, Britain transferred control of Sabah to Malaysia. The Sultanate protested the handover, saying it was a violation of the lease agreement of 1878.

In a statement yesterday, the Sultanate of Sulu said it made a decision on Nov. 11, 2012 to “bring (its) constituents to its sovereign domain of Sabah (North Borneo), which has been under the illegal possession of the Federation of Malaysia since 1963.”

“Let the diplomatic community be reminded that the Sultanate of Sulu has never ended with the death of Sultan Jamalul Kiram II in 1936, as the British and Malaysian governments pretend,” the statement read.

“The thorough succession of sultans has continued up to the present. In fact Diosdado Macapagal accepted the Transfer of the Title of Sovereignty of the Sultanate of Sulu over the territory and inhabitants of North Borneo to the Republic of the Philippines, which was signed on Aug. 29, 1962,” the Sultanate added in its statement.

Secure borders

Meanwhile, Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said Malaysia has asked the Philippines to secure its borders as a result of the Sabah standoff.

Bautista said his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Zulkifli Zainal Abidin discussed the matter with him over the phone recently.

“They (Malaysia) requested us to patrol our borders as they will also patrol their side of the borders to prevent the illegal entrance (of foreigners),” Bautista said.

“To prevent further complicating the situation, they are going to address peacefully the situation there,” he added.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the situation in Sabah is under control and that the country’s police attaché had been sent there to gather details about the standoff, which began last Wednesday.

But for Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima, the situation remains “volatile.” He declined to elaborate.

“We cannot just say something about that because we consider diplomacy,” Purisima said.

Asked about the possible implication of the standoff on the country’s standing claim on Sabah, Gazmin said, “Right now, we can’t say anything about that. Malaysian authorities are talking with the supposed claimants. We will know after the outcome of these talks.”

Malaysian authorities had initially suspected the armed men to be militants fleeing hostilities in Mindanao between MNLF fighters and the terror group Abu Sayyaf.

“They call themselves the Royal (Sulu) Sultanate Army. They are making it appear that they are the security (personnel) of Sultan (Esmail Dalus) Kiram,” Gazmin said referring to the armed men. “The group said they wanted to stay there in Sabah since it is theirs.”

Bautista said the Filipinos involved in the standoff “agreed to discuss the matter peacefully with the Malaysians.”

“They will return to the Philippines in due time,” he said.

“Increased patrols and tighter security measures have been put in place in waters off Tawi-Tawi and adjoining islands,” the DFA said in a statement.

Sabah has a history of incursions by armed Philippine groups, and the prickly situation could test ties between the neighbors, who are fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In the worst incident, Abu Sayyaf terrorists seized 21 mostly Western tourists at the Sabah scuba diving resort of Sipadan in 2000. They were taken to Mindanao and later ransomed.

Battle vs illiteracy

While authorities from the Philippines and Malaysia scramble to end the Sabah standoff peacefully, civic leaders in Quezon City have mobilized to fight a literacy crisis affecting hundreds of children of undocumented Filipinos in the territory.

Members of the Rotary Club in Quezon City vowed to intervene in addressing the illiteracy problem that has affected Filipino minors denied access to Malaysian public education program due to lack of proper immigration papers.

Lawyer Rufino Policarpio III, district governor of Rotary International 3780, said children of undocumented Filipinos who fled conflict areas in Mindanao to Sabah are growing up without proper basic education.

“We learned about this lamentable fate of young Filipinos from Ambassador Eduardo Malaya. Many of our Rotary club members have volunteered to help educate them as part of the Rotary International literacy program,” he said.

Computer and projector sets were immediately sent by the Rotary Club of Cubao Sunrise headed by businessman Gilbert Artificio to the organizers of “Project Stairway to Hope” learning center in Sabah.

Policarpio said a number of Rotary Clubs have pledged more support to help the literacy project succeed.

Project chairperson Marilou Chin said the Federation of Filipino Associations in Malaysia founded the basic learning program for the benefit of Sabah-based Filipinos youths aged six to 16.

Chin said they have set the inauguration of classroom this month even as she stressed the need for “more qualified teachers.”

“We have four volunteer teachers who come to teach three times a week between Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” she said.

Chin said repair work for the school has been slowed down by lack of funds. However, she aired optimism that more well meaning Filipinos and civic organizations like the Quezon City-based Rotary District 3780 organization will respond to the call for support.

“We know that the blessing will flow according to our prayers and many like your organization (Rotary) will touch the lives of these children,” Chin said in a letter to Artificio. – With Paolo Romero, Alexis Romero

Source : http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/02/17/909736/govt-seek-peaceful-end-sabah-standoff 

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No new report of red tide death

KOTA KINABALU: There has been no new report of death of axotoxin poisoning, the main 

component of red tide.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin in disclosing this said the number 

of case remained at 46.

“As of today, 14 people have been discharged from hospitals, with the remaining nine still 

warded, namely three at the Women and Children’s Hospital (WCH) in Likas, four patients at 

Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 (QEH2) and QEH 1 (two).

“Of the number of patients, two are under observation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the 

WCH,” she said, adding that there was no truth in the rumours of four deaths due to axotoxin

 poisoning, as posted on Facebook.

With most of the cases reported in Inanam, Rosnah said the Fisheries Department was 

currently analysing shellfish samples from the night market there.

“We have also conducted health talks at high-risk locations, and to date, 14,324 have 

attended the programme,” she said, adding that warnings had also been distributed through 

posters and pamphlets.

The red tide warning was first issued by Fisheries Department on Dec 12, last year.

In the most serious case of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) this season, Sabah Fisheries 

Department director Rayner Stuel Galid said the victims had all purchased cockles and 

bivalves from street peddlers at the Inanam market.

He said the red tide warning was still in place and urged the public to avoid consuming all 

types of marine shellfish or bivalves.

These include sea oysters, mussels, cockles, bivalves and any type of clam-like seafood.

Beginning late November, the department detected a high amount of PSP toxins in samples 

of bivalves obtained from the west coast through its red tide monitoring programme.

Among the initial symptoms include tingling lips and tongue, a sensation of the ‘pins and 

needles’ on the skin, followed by loss of control of arms and legs, and difficulty in breathing 

that could result in death.

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Umno hopes to get Sepanggar seat – Jainab

KOTA KINABALU: Karambunai assemblywoman, Datuk Hajah Jainab Datuk Seri Panglima Ahmad Ayid, says she hopes the Sepanggar parliamentary seat will be allocated to Umno in the coming 13th general election.

Jainab, who is also Assistant Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology, said the party with the strongest and largest machinery should be given the opportunity to offer its candidate, adding that there may be some impact if the candidate was not selected in that manner.

“The strongest machinery now is Umno Sepanggar because we have 18,000 members, of which 13,000 are voters in Sepanggar,” she remarked confidently.

Furthermore, said Jainab, there are 3,000 voters from the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), over 2,000 voters from among the Tekun entrepreneurs, 2,000 voters from the Royal Malaysian Navy, who have benefitted from 1Azam and 1Malaysia People’s Aid.

“In Sepanggar, we have 53 percent Muslim voters, around 20 percent Kadazan or bumiputra voters, around 20 percent Chinese voters and about five percent of other races,’ she disclosed in an interview after officiating at the Malaysian Conference on Information System (MCIS) 2013 organized by the Labuan School of Informatics Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here yesterday.

Jainab attended the event on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology, Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai.

Jainab is confident that with the provision of the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) and various other assistance given, the BN would be able capture Sepanggar constituency provided all BN component parties were united.

In addition, Jainab said, BN also wanted to defend the Inanam state seat and would assist the present Inanam assemblyman Datuk Johnny Goh in doing so.

“I hope the Sepanggar seat would be allocated to Umno because we have th strongest machinery and we promise to help defend the Inanam state seat,” she said, adding that the final decision on the Sepanggar seat would be left to the Prime Minister.

“If we unite, and if the Prime Minister makes the right choice, I am confident Sepanggar and all seats in Sabah will be the pillar of strength of the BN in Malaysia, as spoken by the Prime Minister.

“We have lost power, Sabah has lost power. Not once, but many times. But we have learnt from experience,” she said, adding that the BN coalition had worked together to develop the country and make necessary transformation.

“All of us hope BN will win all the seats in the whole of Sabah, parliamentary and state,” she said hopefully.

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Ops Selamat results positive

Kota Kinabalu: The two-week "Ops Selamat II" conducted by police in conjunction with the Chinese New Year festival from Feb 3 has showed positive results.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Director, Datuk Salleh Mat Rasid, said the Sabah police contingent led by Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib had done an excellent job according to the objectives of the Ops Selamat II.

"The theme for the Ops Selamat II is 'Safe Home and Reach Destination Safely'. This is to ensure that road users arrive at their destinations safely," he said.

He said this during a media conference after attending a police meet-and-greet the people session held in conjunction with the Ops Selamat II, here, on Friday.

The operation so far, he said, has showed positive results and the overall results will be announced in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 20.

"The number of accidents and housebreaking cases during the Ops Selamat II has decreased. I'm confident we can achieve our objective.

"What I hope from the people, particularly in Sabah, is that the good relationship is maintained so that safety and security programmes implemented by the police will receive full support from the people.

"Police alone cannot do this because for us to ensure safety, security and peace in this country, we need the full support and cooperation from the people," he said.

He commended the efforts and initiatives taken by the State Police Commissioner in initiating numerous community-policing programmes to get closer to the people.

"This is important because our approach is more towards advocacy to guide the people towards being aware of safety awareness so that accidents can be prevented with the presence of police," he said.

Salleh also took part in a motorcycle convoy from the Police Headquarters in Kepayan to Jesselton Point here, participated by some 30 personnel and 20 members of the big bikers.

Also present were State Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib, district police chiefs and senior officers.

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BR1M is testimony BN keeps its promise: Musa

Sandakan: The 1Malaysia People's Assistance (BR1M) was testimony the Barisan Nasional (BN) kept its promise to strive for the people, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

"The BN government has the people's best interests at heart.

We are fortunate to have a Prime Minister who is sensitive to the people's needs and who tries his utmost to provide the best for them," he said at the presentation of the BR1M to 4,000 recipients in the Sungai Sibuga constituency, here, Saturday.

Musa, who is also Sungai Sibuga State Assemblyman, said, for the Government's policies and transformation programmes to sustain, it was imperative for the people to continue supporting the BN.

Speaking to reporters later, he said the overwhelming crowd during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's visit to the State recently, was evidence of the people's support and confidence in the BN government and its leaders.

"It shows their appreciation of the Federal Government's commitment in the State's progress, particularly through infrastructure development," he added.

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Get it right on the E-shopping

If it sounds it is too good to be true, then it might be not what you think, after all. 

In only four months, the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) received about 400 complaints over deal sites that have sprouted over the last year or so.

According to the centre's deputy director, K. Ravin, about 61% of the complaints, filed between 
September and December last year, were about product quality.

Other complaints included misleading information and problems of delivery and refunds.

Ravin said that NCCC had received many complaints of misleading information on prices, especially for beauty and spa packages.

The penalties for contravening this legal provision are stiff corporate entities can be fined up to RM250,000 for a first offence and up to RM500,000 for subsequent offences.

Individuals can be fined not more than RM100,000 or jailed up to three years, or both, for a first offence. They can be fined not more than RM250,000, jailed up to six years, or both, for subsequent offences.

So becareful folks, don't act out of your mind. Beware.

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PM approves RM226 mln allocation to build Beaufort water treatment plan

 

Beaufort, Sabah: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced an allocation of RM226 million to build a water treatment plant here as part of the Beaufort new town development programme.
The prime minister also approved the Islamic College Beaufort project to be undertaken jointly by the federal government as well as the construction of a middle school for the Chinese community.
In addition, he said the government had previously approved an allocation of RM49 million for the Limbawang-Kayul pipe-laying project which was 59 per cent completed for the benefit of local residents.
Speaking to a crowd of more than 20,000 at Padang Pekan here, he said the big turnout indicated that the BN would retain the Beaufort parliamentary seat.
“The opposition is daydreaming if they think they can wrest Beaufort, Papar, Kimanis and Tuaran. They want capture all, but Sabah remains with the BN,” he said to a thunderous applause from the crowd.
The Beaufort parliamentary seat is held by former Umno division chief Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin, who won it in 2008, but relinquished all posts in Umno in July last year.
Najib, who is also BN chairman, said there was no dearth of BN leaders, who came from every nook and corner of the country and have their own approaches to change the people’s destiny.
“We’ve lost a local leader, but he cannot be bigger that the party and the struggle continues. The party remains superior and strong as written in the annals of history.
“When Umno founder the late Datuk Onn Jaafar left the party, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman took over the leadership for the party is larger than individual interests,” said Najib, adding that the people of Beaufort should be able to judge the former leader who run down the government after he quit the party.
The prime minister said the people should give the BN government more time to continue to bring changes through various transformation programmes in the quest to achieve the developed nation status.
Najib, who is also finance minister, said the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) would be followed by the BR1M 3 if the BN were given a new mandate in the 13^th general election.
“BR1M 2 is better than BR1M 1 and BR1M 3… we’ll wait for the next announcement because tomorrow is better than today, because we have done many things here for Beaufort already has a hospital, a sports complex, a vocational school, a community college, and others,” he said.
Present were Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, and Sabah Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun.
At the function, 15 Parti Keadilan Rakyat members headed by its Beaufort branch chief Adnan Mohd Ali submitted their applications to join Umno.
Najib also signed a plaque signifying the launch of the Beaufort new town development plan. – Bernama

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Lok Kawi-Papar road to be widened in stages: PM

 


PAPAR, Sabah: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced that the Lok Kawi-Papar road would be widened in stages.
He made the announcement after hearing grouses from residents in the area about traffic congestion along the 30km stretch of road between Lok Kawi and Papar town.
Hence, he called on the people, particularly those in this district, to continue supporting the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government to ensure the continuity of such development efforts.
“I know you love me, but my name is not on the ballot paper.
“Therefore, please vote for BN. Ensure that you cross for BN (on the ballot paper),” he said at a gathering with Papar constituents, here, today.
Najib said various forms of aid such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) and early schooling aid would be continued if the people again gave their mandate to BN.
He said these efforts proved that BN really helped the people and would do anything possible for their own well-being.
“We have given BR1M 1, then BR1M 2.0. If you choose BN, we will give BR1M 3, BR1M 4…..
“But we don’t do Bersih 1, Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 3.0 because we don’t do things that will waste the people’s time,” said Najib who also assured the people of Sabah that development efforts would go on in the state.
However, he hoped that those in the remote areas would be patient as development in these areas would be carried out in stages, considering their expanse and geography.
“Sabah requires huge costs for development to continue to be channelled to the people throughout the state.
“That is why BN needs a new mandate from the people to implement everything possible in their own interest,” he said.
Najib also expressed confidence that BN would retain the Papar parliamentary seat and its two state seats, Pantai Manis and Kawang, in the upcoming 13^th general election.
He regarded the spirit shown by the 10,000-strong crowd at the event as extraordinary and believed that Sabah would continue to develop in tandem with mainstream development under BN’s administration. – Bernama

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More local researchers at Danau Girang Field Centre

KOTA KINABALU: The increasing number of local researchers carrying out research at the Danau Girang Field Centre is welcome news and augurs well for Sabah.
According to Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director, Dr. Benoit Goosens, they presently have two PhD students and four Masters students from Malaysia.
“We have also hired two Malaysian research assistants who have a Masters degree (MSc) — one from UMS (Universiti Malaysia Sabah) and one from the University of Tasmania. They could become potential PhD students in the future,” he said enthusiastically.
He added that he has high hopes that more Malaysians will conduct researchers in the future, particularly at DGFC.
“I have high hopes. I think that we will attract more and more local students to conduct research at DGFC. This is why I spend a lot of time writing press releases about our projects and posting news and pictures on our Facebook page. I have seen an increase of requests from Malaysian students,” he said.
He also said that his team at DGFC will continue with their promotional efforts to get more locals to conduct researches locally at DGFC, situated at Kinabatangan.
“We will continue spreading news about our research, filling our Facebook page with news and pictures. Giving presentations at local universities,” he said.
He added that a few students from UPM were due to arrive at the field centre in August this year as interns.
Among the researches that are being conducted at the centre are on several charismatic and endangered species. The DGFC have, in the past, been involved in various projects with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), among them was the tagging of crocodiles along the Kinabatangan river to check on the long term movements of the tagged reptiles.
The centre, together with SWD, also worked together to tag proboscis monkeys in the Kinabatangan region as part of the conservation initiative.

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Musa: BN can retain Beaufort, Papar and Tuaran seats

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman is confident that Barisan Nasional (BN) can retain Beaufort, Papar and Tuaran parliamentary seats in the general election.

He said a majority of Sabahans support the BN government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who has proven the ability to govern the country well via various transformation programmes.

“BN elected representatives in Sabah have worked hard to develop their constituencies. I am confident that people in Beaufort, Papar and Tuaran are wise and mature in making the best decision,” he told Bernama, here today.

Musa, who is also Sabah BN chairman, said the people are aware that the development is not due to individuals or certain leaders but the BN struggle.

He said the people have given a clear signal of the importance of continuity of development brought about by the BN government.

The people appreciated the Prime Minister’s efforts via programmes to ease the people’s burden such as 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), special aid to students, 1Malaysia Clinic and 1Malaysia People’s Shop.

“Based on several issues and shortcoming of states ruled by the opposition, the people are confident that BN can deliver on its promises, unlike the opposition,” said Musa.

Beaufort is held by former deputy minister of housing and local government, Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin who quit Umno last year to form Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS), a non-governmental organuisation (NGO) which supports Pakatan Rakyat.

Papar is held by Puteri Umno chief and Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin while Tuaran by Datuk Wilfred Bumburing, the former deputy president of Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Bersatu (UPKO) who quit BN.

At 2008 general election, Sabah BN won 59 state seats and 24 parliamentary seats, losing only in Sri Tanjung (state) and Kota Kinabalu (parliamentary). – Bernama

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Chinese New Year greetings from us!

Hello everyone! Been away for so long. It is my great pleasure to wish all of you a very prosperous Chinese New Year. We are celebrating Water Snake this year so I hope each one of you will enjoy, a great bunch of surprises in wealth, health, relationship, career and etc.

Don't be afraid of changes because this is how we are trained to cope with. So my best wishes to you, gong xi fa chai!

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What does it take to contest in the GE13

Kuala Lumpur: The waiting game for the election date will be over soon, with the current government calling for the Dewan Rakyat to be dissolved anytime before 28 April 2013.

Moreover, the Dewan Rakyat’s mandate expires on the same date.

Politicians on both sides of the divide will contest 222 Parliamentary seats and 505 state-assembly seats throughout the nation, except in Sarawak.

However, has anyone wondered what it takes to contest in the elections, especially the 13th General Election (GE13), that will feature many new rules to ensure greater transparency?

To educate the society and media, the Election Commission (EC) conducted a briefing on GE13 at Bernama on Jan 17. During the briefing, the EC’s Deputy Chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar touched upon the prerequisites for aspiring candidates and the new rules.

Among the requirements for contesting in the elections, first and foremost, the candidates must be Malaysian citizens of 21 years and above.

Undischarged bankrupts and those convicted by the courts for offences within the last five years are barred from contesting.

Civil servants and those considered mentally unfit are also barred from contesting.

Wan Ahmad added that those who had contested previously and were yet to submit their election-expense returns were also blacklisted.
“To date, 50 of the candidates in the 2008 election have yet to submit their financial statement. They should know better of their obligations…,” he lamented.
Anyone who fulfills the above conditions can obtain nomination forms and statutory declaration forms, and prepare the required deposits.
The completed forms, deposits and the statuary declaration forms should be handed over at the nomination centres that are open between 9 am and 10 am on the nomination day.

The returning officer will go through the nomination papers and then declare the names of those who qualify to contest.

For the first time, GE13 will be doing away with the objection period, in line with the amendments to regulation 9 of the Elections (Conduct of Elections) 1981, that came into effect on 27 April 2012.

The nomination papers can be handed over by either the candidate himself/herself, or the proposer, or the seconder.

The statutory declaration has to be stamped at the stamp-duty office.

Candidates vying for parliamentary seats are required to make the statutory declaration on Form 5, and those vying for state seats should use form 5A.

Candidates are also required to pay a deposit to contest and a deposit to campaign. The deposit to contest a Parliament seat is set at RM10,000, while it is RM 5,000 for a state seat, payable in cash or by bank draft on the nomination day.

The payments can be made to EC beforehand, with the candidate only needing to attach the payment receipt when submitting the nomination forms.

As for the campaign, the candidates have to pay a deposit of RM5,000 for Parliamentary seats and RM3,000 for state seats.

The candidates also have to liaise with the local authorities in putting up posters, banners etc. A police permit is required for campaign speeches in open spaces.

“I would like to point out here that the money will be used to clean up the posters and others after the election, in the event that the candidate fails to do so…,” Wan Ahmad said, explaining the purpose of the deposit.
He also pointed out that in certain constituencies, political parties that were not contesting in the area were also putting up their posters and banners in a show of support for their allies.

This is a clear violation of the election laws, and the EC would act against this, Wan Ahmad said.
Nonetheless, often, the EC’s employees end up at the receiving end.

“There was an incident where our employees were surrounded by the supporters of a party and held up to 4 am. The EC had to call the police to rescue them,” he explained.

To ensure greater transparency in conducting GE13, the EC has made some changes in positioning Polling Booth Observers to enable the candidate’s representatives to keep a close watch on the voting process.
They will be placed where they can see the voters coming in and walking towards the first, second and third polling clerks.

In this position, representatives can view voters standing in front of the second polling clerk, where their fingers are inked before the voter moves towards the ballot box and casts his/her vote.

Wan Ahmad hopes that the new measures introduced will fulfill the aspirations of the political parties to see the free and fair election they have been clamouring for.

Wan Ahmad pointed out that Malaysia’s electoral system is an efficient and reliable one, and has been adopted by many nations, such as Mali, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Timur Leste and Cambodia.

“Under our electoral system, voters vote during the day and by the same night, they have results. In certain neighbouring countries, it takes weeks and at times, months to see the results,” he explained.
The fast election process makes it difficult to manipulate.

During GE13, the first results are expected to be out as early as 7 pm. SPR has set up its own computer applications, which will further streamline the electoral process.

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