PETALING JAYA: Bersih has lodged a police report against deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for making a speech that may “unduly influence” Pulai folk to vote for Pakatan Harapan in Saturday’s parliamentary by-election.
The electoral reform group claimed that Zahid said upgrades to the people’s housing project in Melana Indah, Johor, would be reviewed and approved on the condition that PH candidate Suhaizan Kaiat won the by-election.
In a statement, Bersih said the speech should be investigated for allegedly violating Section 9 (for undue influence) and Section 10 (bribery) of the Election Offences Act 1954.
It said Zahid’s speech on Sept 3 also contradicted the 3C (no conditions, no campaigns, no candidates) principles it outlined in July to prevent the abuse of incumbency advantage.
“Any government announcements or considerations made by non-caretaker governments – in the case of the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections, it would be the federal and Johor state government – cannot be made with conditions, with candidates present or use government functions to campaign, as was done by Zahid,” it said.
Bersih urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to “control the conduct of his Cabinet members” by issuing an electoral guide so that government resources and machinery are not misused.
Bersih chairman Thomas Fann had previously criticised Zahid’s offer of aid to Terengganu youth in the days leading up to the by-election on Aug 12.
He said Zahid’s offer violated two of the 3Cs by attaching conditions for the aid and for giving targeted allocations to Terengganu youth only, instead of all youth.
