DAP to instruct its lawyers to look into possibility of court injunction to restarin the Election Commission from holding snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise from March 1 to register 300,000 – 500,000 UMNO members

Comments to the press by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, after wishing Tunku Abdul Rahman happy 87th birthday in Penang on Thursday, 8.2.1990:

DAP to instruct its lawyers to look into possibility of court injunction to restarin the Election Commission from holding snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise from March 1 to register 300,000 – 500,000 UMNO members

DAP is to instruct its party lawyers to look into the possibility of a court injunction to restrain the Election Commission from holding snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise from March 1 to register 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members.

The snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise beginning on March 1 is surrounded by a lot of dishonesty and impropriety as the the Election Commission dare not admit publicly about the exercise although it is to be launched in less than three weeks time and the Election Commission had sent out directives to State Election Officials about it.

The secretive and even dishonest manner the Election Commission has gone around surreptitiously preparing for the snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise shows that there is an urgent need for Malaysians to speak up and demand an independent Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections.

There can be no free and fair elections if the Election Commission takes it orders from the UMNO Baru and the government of the day to specially arrange for a snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise just to put 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members on the electoral rolls because they had not registered themselves as voters.

There can be no free and fair elections if the snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise is conducted in such a manner where the target is to register these 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members, using Kemas and personnel of other governmental or quasi-governmental organisations as registration officials, while Opposition parties are shut out of the exercise altogether.

There can be no free and fair elections if the Election Commission has become a toll of UMNO Baru and the government of the day, taking orders not only on the registration of 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members on the Electoral Roll, but to change regulations on the conduct of general elections to suit the interests of UMNO Baru and Barisan Nasional.

Call on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to reconcile the differences between the Defence Minister and the Army Chief on withdrawal of troops from operational areas on the border.

There has been a conflict of statements between the Defence Minister, Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen, and the Army Chief, Jen. Tan Sri Yaacob Mohamen Zain, on the position of the regular troops from the border operational areas after the signing of the Peace Agreements between the Malaysian Government and the Communist Party of Malaya in Haadyai in early December.

In December, the Jen. Tan Sri Yaacob annouonced that the army commander’s committee had decided on a progressive withdrawal of the troops now stationed in the operational areas.

But yesterday, the Defence Minister said the army will not withdraw its regular troops from operational areas at the border.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, should reconcile the differences between the Defence Minister and the Army Chief.
Comments to the press by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, after wishing Tunku Abdul Rahman happy 87th birthday in Penang on Thursday, 8.2.1990:

DAP to instruct its lawyers to look into possibility of court injunction to restarin the Election Commission from holding snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise from March 1 to register 300,000 – 500,000 UMNO members

DAP is to instruct its party lawyers to look into the possibility of a court injunction to restrain the Election Commission from holding snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise from March 1 to register 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members.

The snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise beginning on March 1 is surrounded by a lot of dishonesty and impropriety as the the Election Commission dare not admit publicly about the exercise although it is to be launched in less than three weeks time and the Election Commission had sent out directives to State Election Officials about it.

The secretive and even dishonest manner the Election Commission has gone around surreptitiously preparing for the snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise shows that there is an urgent need for Malaysians to speak up and demand an independent Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections.

There can be no free and fair elections if the Election Commission takes it orders from the UMNO Baru and the government of the day to specially arrange for a snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise just to put 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members on the electoral rolls because they had not registered themselves as voters.

There can be no free and fair elections if the snap 21-day voters’ registration exercise is conducted in such a manner where the target is to register these 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members, using Kemas and personnel of other governmental or quasi-governmental organisations as registration officials, while Opposition parties are shut out of the exercise altogether.

There can be no free and fair elections if the Election Commission has become a toll of UMNO Baru and the government of the day, taking orders not only on the registration of 300,000 to 500,000 UMNO Baru members on the Electoral Roll, but to change regulations on the conduct of general elections to suit the interests of UMNO Baru and Barisan Nasional.

Call on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to reconcile the differences between the Defence Minister and the Army Chief on withdrawal of troops from operational areas on the border.

There has been a conflict of statements between the Defence Minister, Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen, and the Army Chief, Jen. Tan Sri Yaacob Mohamen Zain, on the position of the regular troops from the border operational areas after the signing of the Peace Agreements between the Malaysian Government and the Communist Party of Malaya in Haadyai in early December.

In December, the Jen. Tan Sri Yaacob annouonced that the army commander’s committee had decided on a progressive withdrawal of the troops now stationed in the operational areas.

But yesterday, the Defence Minister said the army will not withdraw its regular troops from operational areas at the border.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, should reconcile the differences between the Defence Minister and the Army Chief.