DAP is prepared to take the Election Commission (EC) to court over the hearing session that was held in Segamat this week regarding the objections against the moving of army personnel  to the area ahead of the next elections.

Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong said EC had failed to conduct the hearing session fairly by not allowing the complainants to be accompanied by their lawyers during the session.

“Our issue is that the EC has acted as a player instead of the judge in this case. EC should allow lawyers to accompany the complainants but in this hearing session they were not allowed to enter with lawyers,” said the Kluang MP.

According to Liew, the complainants were requested to back up their objections against the sudden transfers, however the transferred army personnel were not asked to confirm their places of residency.

“We were told that some of the army personnel are still residing at Sikamat Camp in Seremban. They did not provide any evidence of where they had moved and this camp (Segamat Camp) which has yet to be completed. This is unfair.”

He also said the case involving the shifting of army personnel did not only occur at the Segamat Camp in Johor but also at the Hutan Melintang Camp at Bagan Datuk, Perak.

Health Minister S. Subramaniam is the Segamat MP while Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is the Bagan Datuk MP.

Liew said DAP deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo, who was also present at the hearing session today, will bring the case to court.

When contacted by The Malaysian Insight, Gobind confirmed the matter and said they will file the case in court after the hearing session ends on December 10.

He said besides not allowing lawyers to accompany the complainants, there were other anomalies during the hearing.

“Some of the complainants were not permitted the use of a translator too,” said the Puchong MP.

Gobind, who is also a lawyer, said a Dewan Rakyat hansard entry dated November 27 confirmed that the Segamat Camp is not completed yet.

“When the complainant entered (the hearing session), they were requested to provide evidence that the camp was not ready.

“We have the hansard from Parliament dated November 27 and the matter was confirmed by deputy minister (Johari Baharum). However the complainants were still asked to provide evidence.

“This is the best evidence because the deputy minister is the government’s spokesperson at that time (in parliament),” he said.

Meanwhile, Gobind said any complainants whose complaints were denied had to pay RM150.

“I do not have the exact number of complainants who made objections but each complainant made objected against 20 people,” added the Subang MP.

On October 31, DAP found that there were 1,051 voters registered at a yet to be completed military camp in Segamat, Johor and 28 others at Regiment 501 Territorial Army Camp Segamat. – December 5, 2017.