A PARLIAMENTARY Select Committee (PSC) to vet appointments of Election Commission (EC) members should do so quickly so that the EC can function fully, Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee chairman Thomas Fann said.

The appointments of new commissioners should be done as soon as possible so that policies and decisions by the EC can be done in a consultative manner.

“Azhar Harun is serving alone in the EC as there are six vacancies. He is the only one making decisions,” Fann said, referring to the EC chairman.

Six commissioners resigned last year after Pakatan Harapan formed the federal government, serving out their terms with the last commissioner vacating the post on January 1.

Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong in a statement yesterday said the vacancies now presented the government a chance to form a completely new EC that will undertake needed reforms to repair its tarnished reputation in handling past elections.

The federal constitution, however, stipulates that EC members are to be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after a consultation with the Conference of Rulers and on the advice of the prime minister.

Khoo said this was not a transparent process and called for the new appointments to go through Parliament as well by using the PSC on Major Public Appointments (MPA).

The PSC on MPAs was one of six new select committees established by Parliament under the Pakatan Harapan government.

“The process should be hastened so that in two or three months, the new commissioners are appointed to work with the chairman,” Fann said.

“In the last ten years, the EC’s reputation was bad because of its bias.

“By going through a transparent process, it will restore the public’s confidence in the members of EC,” he said. – January 6, 2019.