KUALA LUMPUR: The government will set up a tribunal to investigate numerous allegations of misconduct committed by the Election Commission (EC) in the run up to the 14th General Election (GE14).
Online news portal MalaysiaKini reported that the move was part of the government's efforts to clean up the EC and possibly to remove commissioners suspected of wrongdoing.
The portal, in an exclusive, said the probe of the purported misconduct by the EC and some of its commissioners was part of an effort to clean up the commission and put into place electoral reforms.
Several former Federal Court judges would be appointed to sit on the tribunal to investigate the commission.
A high-powered team has been formed by the Attorney-General's Chambers to assist the tribunal.
It said former solicitor-general II, Yusof Zainal Abiden, who has gone into private practice, and lawyer M Puravalen will be brought in as co-counsel to represent the chambers at the tribunal.
A tribunal has to be formed as election commissioners, like Federal Court judges, can only be removed by a tribunal.
The commissioners are appointed until their retirement at age 66.
During the 14th general election, the EC was led by its then chairperson Tan Sri Hashim Abdullah.
Hashim cut short his tenure, with permission from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and left on July 1.
He was replaced by lawyer Azhar Harun this month.
The other commissioners are Tan Sri Othman Mahmood, Datuk Md Yusop Mansor, Datuk Abdul Aziz Khalidin, Sulaiman Narawi, Datuk Bala Singam Karupiah and Datuk Leo Chong Cheong.
In August, electoral reform group Bersih urged Putrajaya to set up a tribunal to investigate the EC's alleged wrongdoings before and during GE14.
In a letter to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the group listed 10 of the commission's alleged wrongdoings, including gerrymandering and malapportionment to favour BN, deliberately holding polling in midweek to discourage voter turnout, and allowing only a short campaign period of 11 days.
"The members had not only sullied the EC's fairness, independence and integrity, but also violated the people's rights to chose a government as well as threatening the foundations of democracy,” then-Bersih acting chairperson Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari said.