LETTER | A chance for PM to demonstrate his reformist commitment

LETTER | The retirement of the Election Commission chairperson on May 9 has led to calls for the appointment of his successor to be done in a more transparent way by giving more space for the scrutiny of potential candidates and justifications for the selection.

Both Pakatan Harapan and BN had stated in their electoral commitments to establish a parliamentary committee to vet candidates for nominations to key national positions.

It is commonplace that opposition leaders who previously supported electoral reform dragged their feet after coming into power.

Since they are now in charge, perhaps the fear that the election management system might be vulnerable to manipulation by the executive has subsided.

However, we should acknowledge that the integrity of the Election Commission cannot depend on the vagaries of who happens to be the prime minister.

Those who are part of the cabinet now should remember that they once criticised the political background of some of the former EC chairs and a deputy chair which might have compromised their impartiality and independence from the executive.

Don’t forget that the procedure of appointment has remained the same as before and the same weaknesses of the system have not been rectified.

General elections in Malaysia are becoming highly competitive and unpredictable, which may lead to the reluctance of the incumbents to leave it to chance.

However, this can also be seen as a strong reason to enhance the transparency of the appointment procedure of election commissioners, especially the chair.

The era of perpetual power has ended. I humbly hope that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will have the foresight to put in place a more transparent and accountable mechanism of appointment via the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election, and Institutional Reform.

It is time to walk the talk. While leaders will come and go, the legacy of good governance can hopefully last beyond the leaders.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.