by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, 11th August 1990.
Why should the Election Commission be on a 24-hour a day printing rush to produce the new 1990 Electoral Roll to meet the Prime Minister’s deadline if the Commission is independent.
One of the key factors for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to decide whether to call general, elections in September will be the availability of the new 1990 Electoral Roll, which the UMNO Baru Supreme Council and the Barisan
Nasional Govern¬ment had directed the Election Commission to prepare in March this year with a 27-day snap voters’ registration exercise.
Dr. Mahathir would be very reluctant to call general elec¬tions in September if the new
1990 Electoral Roll, where the UMNO Baru, has managed to register some 300,000
of its members and supporters on the electoral register, cannot be ready next month.
The Election Commission is now rushing its printing job going on a 24-hour a-day
printing schedule to rush out the new 1990 Electoral Roll by the end of this month.
The important question is; If the Election Commission is truly independent, why should
it be on a 24-hour-a-day printing rush to produce the-new 1990 Electoral Roll to meet the
deadline of the Prime Minister?
Clearly, the Election Commission had received a directive from the Government that
it should produce the new Electoral Roll latest by the end of the month in case
Dr. Mahathir wants to call general elections in September.
An Election Commission which had to meet such deadlines set by the ruling parties
cannot be independent as provided by the Malaysian Constitution.
DAP calls on the Election Commission to explain why it is rushing to complete the new
Electoral Roll by the end of the month with its 24-hour-a-day printing schedule.
The preparation of the 1990 Electoral Roil should take its normal course. It is no business
or concern of the Election Commis¬sion whether the general elections next month uses the
new or old electoral roll.