THE results of the May 9 polls may have been a victory for the people, but the high incidence of cheating and vote-rigging reported to Bersih 2.0 proves that the fight for electoral reform must not take a backseat, but intensified, said acting chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari.

And while many might be inclined to “go easy” on the new Pakatan Harapan government leaders, said the Bersih acting chairman, the group hopes to step up calls for the new government to take action following complaints of electoral fraud.

“The Election Commission (members) should all step down. They were complicit in the cheating and rigging,” Shahrul told The Malaysian Insight in an interview.

“There should be an RCI (royal commission of inquiry) to investigate election offences committed before, during and after the 14th general election. Those responsible should be charged.”

He said Bersih will continue to scrutinise the government, and must remain independent.

“Bersih is impartial. We are not pro-PH or pro-Barisan Nasional. We are pro-rakyat.

“Many people think we are pro-PH. We are pro-reform. The priority is reform.”

He said the PH victory is a small step towards the said reform, as most PH leaders have long been strong supporters of Bersih’s cause.

“Yes, GE14 was magical. The rakyat won. You created a silent revolution.

“(But) this is just the first step. We shouldn’t be complacent. We must seize this opportunity for reform.”

Bersih has been far from complacent. Since GE14, it has spoken out against the cabinet’s decision to allocate RM500,000 for lawmakers from PH and only a fifth of that – RM100,000 – for opposition MPs.

Its steering committee members have also met with the Institutional Reforms Committee and PH backbenchers with detailed proposals for short- and long-term electoral and parliamentary reforms.

“Most of these reforms, like automatic voter registration, electoral roll audit, abolition of domestic postal voting, reform of advance and overseas postal voting, a minimum campaign period of 21 days, and fair and equal access to the media, can be done without changing the federal constitution,” said Shahrul.

Bersih will release its full GE14 report on July 13, three days ahead of the first Parliament sitting under the PH government.

Shahrul, who joined the Bersih steering committee in 2016 and helped organise the Bersih 5 overnight rally, said with the new government in place, he hopes the group can finally be registered with the Registrar of Societies.

With four staff in its secretariat, he said, a form of funding would come in handy as well.

“Hopefully, the new government will consider giving funding to independent civil society organisations like us.”

He said Bersih must always remain vigilant in demanding change in the electoral system, to ensure that the country does not slip back into its years of corruption and abuse of power.

“We don’t want the return of an authoritarian regime – a BN 2.0 – or money politics where cash is king.” – July 7, 2018.