The stage is set for a re-match between Bersih chief Ambiga
Sreenevasan and Election Commission deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar in their war
of words over whether or not Malaysia's electoral system requires reform.This comes with the two of them confirming
their attendance at a talk on "The election laws, Election Commission &
electoral reform" that the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights
(Proham) is holding at the Dream Centre in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, on
Friday.
"They have conveyed to me that they will attend. However, we will focus on a different set of topics as opposed to the talk yesterday," Proham committee member Dennison Jayasooria told Malaysiakini.Ambiga and Wan Ahmad crossed swords at yesterday's discussion in Shah Alam organised by Kumpulan Karangkraf, the media group that publishes Malay language daily Sinar Harian and a score of popular magazines.
The talk on "What's next after July 9?" saw a lively debate between Ambiga and Wan Ahmad, with a boisterous, 600-strong audience that moderator Wan Saiful Wan Jan of private think-tank Ideas had trouble keeping in check.The other panelist for Friday's talk, to be moderated by fellow Proham member Ramon Navaratnam, is lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah from the Asean Human Rights Commission.
The debate on the need for electoral reforms has raged for years between civil society and government authorities, culminating in the first Bersih electoral reform rally in 2007, and in its second incarnation on July 9.The authorities are adamant that the election laws in force are adequate and enough reforms have been implemented, while election watchdogs like Bersih 2.0 are disputing this, pointing out the many claims of phantom voters and questionable practices, such as the constituency delineation exercises.
"They have conveyed to me that they will attend. However, we will focus on a different set of topics as opposed to the talk yesterday," Proham committee member Dennison Jayasooria told Malaysiakini.Ambiga and Wan Ahmad crossed swords at yesterday's discussion in Shah Alam organised by Kumpulan Karangkraf, the media group that publishes Malay language daily Sinar Harian and a score of popular magazines.
The talk on "What's next after July 9?" saw a lively debate between Ambiga and Wan Ahmad, with a boisterous, 600-strong audience that moderator Wan Saiful Wan Jan of private think-tank Ideas had trouble keeping in check.The other panelist for Friday's talk, to be moderated by fellow Proham member Ramon Navaratnam, is lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah from the Asean Human Rights Commission.
The debate on the need for electoral reforms has raged for years between civil society and government authorities, culminating in the first Bersih electoral reform rally in 2007, and in its second incarnation on July 9.The authorities are adamant that the election laws in force are adequate and enough reforms have been implemented, while election watchdogs like Bersih 2.0 are disputing this, pointing out the many claims of phantom voters and questionable practices, such as the constituency delineation exercises.
Source :http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/171245
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