UMNO and Gerakan said today the decision by former Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah to contest the 14th general election (GE14) on the Pakatan Harapan ticket is proof that the electoral watchdog has always been biased against the government.

Federal Territories Umno Youth chief Mohd Razlan Raffi said Bersih’s claims that it is politically neutral have now been proven false, as are its claims that the electoral system is unfair.

“Maria would not have decided to contest if she still believed the electoral system in Malaysia is not transparent,” Razlan was quoted as saying by the Malay-language Utusan Malaysia newspaper.

“She has proved herself to be a kuda tunggangan (operative) of the opposition to claim that the electoral system is terrible and unfair.

“All along, the opposition pact has planned to create a false perception among the people.”

Yesterday, Maria officially resigned as Bersih 2.0 chairman and announced her decision to contest for a parliamentary seat as an independent candidate under the Pakatan Harapan banner. 

Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang also weighed in on the decision, saying Maria’s move to politics has revealed her “true colours”.

“If you contest under the Pakatan ticket, it means you have been deceiving the people with all sorts of false rhetoric.

“It is now clear that she (Maria) has shown her true colours – that she had a hidden agenda all along. This is why Bersih always fought any government initiative,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia. 

Last night, Pakatan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the coalition has yet to decide in which seat Maria would be contesting. – March 7, 2018.