SHAH ALAM: The Election Commission (EC) should get the basics sorted out before embarking on other changes, said Malaysians for Free Elections (Mafrel) coordinator Ong Boon Keong.
"The EC is now controlled by only one ruling party," Ong said. "It should be transferred to the Parliament and not remain under the Prime Minister’s Department so that all political parties can have a fair say," Ong said.(picture) Until that happens, the public will continue to question the EC’s integrity and any effort it takes to look into other polls related issues, he said in an interview with FMT.
Elaborating on issues that the EC should look into–provided it is independent and seen to be independent–Ong said: “The current first-past-the-post system, for instance, does not allow the seats to represent the votes obtained by political parties."
He said the best system would be a combination of the first-past-the-post and the proportional-representation systems, as used by countries such as Germany and Taiwan.
"Another issue is the process of election. A lot of things could be improved. For example, electoral rolls can be cleaned up. And some poll stations are now too far away from where the voters stay."
He also pointed out that there was currently no cap on election expenses.
Responding to the EC’s proposal for an early voting system, Ong asked if the system would be as opaque as the current postal voting system.
“The issue is not whether it is early voting or multiple day polling, but whether the process is transparent and open to full scrutiny by all parties, including observers."
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