AFTER calling for the removal of all Election Commission members, Bersih 2.0 said a special legal task force should be set up to oversee immediate electoral reforms and to advise the interim EC members.

Bersih 2.0 acting chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari said the task force must have the legal and technical expertise to carry out the short-term reforms, which the electoral reform group says should be instituted within two years.

These reforms require only amendments to existing election laws and do not require constitutional amendments.

They include the need for automatic voter registration, to be carried out by the interim EC.

“The EC shall deregister all present voters in the electoral roll, followed by an immediate re-registration via automatic voter registration,” Shahrul told reporters outside the Ilham Tower in Kuala Lumpur where delivered Bersih’s memorandum to the government’s committee on institutional reforms.

Bersih recommends that automatic voter registration be done using information from the National Registration Department and the existing intra-agency link-up system.

Bersih said the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002 must be amended or redrafted entirely for this to take effect and that any amendment must not contravene the definition of “qualifying date” in Article 119(4)(b) of the Federal Constitution.

Another proposed reform is to the practice of the prime minister’s announcement on Parliament’s dissolution. Bersih said the date of dissolution should be tabled at least six months before it takes place. 

“This is to avoid uncertainty and allow sufficient time for political parties, voters, and election observers to make preparations,” Bersih said in its memorandum.

It also called for an amendment to Regulation 3(1) of the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulation 1981 to institute a minimum 21-day campaign period to allow voters more time to receive information and make an informed decision, and for overseas voters to receive their postal ballots in time.

Another short-term electoral reform target is the voters’ free and fair access to media, where the EC shall develop a Code of Conduct for media during elections in consultation with media outlets, civil society, and journalists. – May 23, 2018.