'Disqualification of six candidates due to lack of due diligence: Analyst', The Sun Daily, 2 May 2018

Disqualification of six candidates due to lack of due diligence: Analyst

     

Ian McIntyre
     

                     

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Harapan may not have suffered six disqualifications of its candidates on Nomination Day if the Opposition alliance took up the offer to screen their proposed candidates with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) here.
While secrecy may be seen as a strategic move during the selection of candidates, vetting bodies such as MACC could also be subjected to tight disclosure laws so as to maintain the integrity aspects, said Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) political scientist Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.
Speaking to theSun, Sivamurugan said that MACC had reportedly made an offer to all political parties in the run-up to the general election.
"If I am not mistaken, Barisan Nasional had accepted the offer (for a third party to vet their candidates)," said Sivamurugan in an interview.
Hence, the national coalition had no problems meeting the requirements of the Election Commission to qualify to stand as candidates.
He said that political parties need to up their preparations as public expectations of having trustworthy, capable and academically inclined candidates are high.
"There is no doubt voters are more discerning on their choice of candidates. Although there is still an element of choosing logo above everything else, eventually voters also want quality and transparent candidates."
The six, who were barred from contesting, was headed by two-term Batu Member of Parliament Tian Chua from PKR, who was barred from contesting due to a fine meted out to him by a High Court in Shah Alan.
This is followed by the dismissal of PKR's Dr. S. Streram, who could not gain access to the nomination centre to file his papers.
Streram could not contest in the Rantau state seat in Negri Sembilan, handing over a walkover for the incumbent Datuk Seri Mohamed Hassan, the caretaker Mentri Besar, who is now scheduled to continue his tenure if BN regains the state.
Others who fell by the wayside were Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's candidates, Pizi Jihat at the Bukit Pasir state seat (Johor) and Yaakob Osman in Penaga state seat (Penang), on technical grounds of bankruptcy.
Mohd Azihan Che Seman was disqualified in the Tawang state seat in Kelantan for an invalid identity card and Mohd Hafidz Rizal Amran was prohibited for a bankruptcy charge in the state seat of Kuala Balah in Kelantan.
In another development, Yaakob has revealed that his bankruptcy notice stemmed from credit card debts which he was not notified by the bank.
"My lawyer found the documentation and the insolvency was due to a credit card debt from 20 years ago and the notices were sent to my old address 20 years ago so I never got the notices," he said.