SABAHANS MEET NAMFREL FOR POLLS OBERVATION

http://sabahkini.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14128%3Asabahans-meet-namfrel-for-polls-obervation&catid=37%3Apolitik&Itemid=41

MANILA TRIP..... Jerry Ombou (left) and Kanul Gindol (right) after their final preparation meeting for the Manila trip in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

KOTA KINABALU : Two Sabahans of the Sabah chapter of Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (MAFREL) will be in Manila for four days starting tomorrow, holding discussions and sharing notes with the world-renown NAMFREL (National Citizen's for Free Election), in relation to the coming Malaysian general election.

Chairman of Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo, Mr Kanul Gindol, and myself, both as MAFREL volunteers, would learn from the Philippines' experience in election observatory works of which NAMFREL is known to have been doing since early 1980's soon after it was incepted in 1983.

This initiative should be empowering the future polls observation works especially in Sabah, particularly during campaigning and polling period where allegedly abuses had been always existent but skipped the eyes of independent observers.

Ensuring a fair and free election is the utmost priority of MAFREL too and thus why we came up with this self-funded study trip to our experienced neighbour.

While in Manila, the two of us would also have separate meetings with two other NGOs during which we will learn and share knowledge and experiences on promoting civil society in our respective states.

The NGOs are the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy (PCCED) and the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID).

The PCID has in the past among others held community programmes such as "Empowering the Ulama of the Philippines", "Electoral and Democratic Reforms in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)", and "the South-east Asia Forum on Islam and Democracy".

This study trip would definitely come in handy as we look forward to working closely with the various stakeholders in a democratic Sabah, be they the ruling government, the opposition as well as the Malaysian Election Commission in ensuring a fair and free polls for citizens.

CALLING FOR MAFREL PRU13 ELECTION OBSERVERS

MAFREL 19/5/12 PROGRAMME UPDATE

Training Session Saturday 19/5/2012

http://mafrel.blogspot.com/2012/05/voluteers-training-session-sat-1952012.html

Those interested to join this volunteers training session, please contact
Rick Lye
rick@jvnetresources.com

MAFREL PERAK : TAKLIMAT

MAFREL Perak Chapter is also arranging a taklimat/briefing session for new volunteers for PRU13 on Sunday 22nd. April, 2012 beginning from 9.00 am.
Venue Perak IKRAM Office, Ipoh.
For more detail contact IR Megat Shariffudin Ibrahim at 012 5222664 or by email at irmegatsibrahim@gmail.com

MAFREL OBSERVERS BRIEFING - SELANGOR/WP

TAKLIMAT MAFREL

PESERTA: PEMERHATI SUKARELAWAN PRU13
KAWASAN SELANGOR/WP DAN KAWASAN SEKITAR
(Pemerhati yang mengundi di tempat lain, tetapi menetap di Selangor/WP boleh menyertainya)

TARIKH: SABTU 21 APRIL 2012

WAKTU: 9.00AM – 1.00PM

TEMPAT: DEWAN TAMAN KLANG JAYA, JALAN SELAMPIT 26, TAMAN KLANG JAYA, KLANG

TUAN/PUAN DIJEMPUT MENGHADIRINYA

UNTUK TUJUAN URUSAN PERSEDIAAN, SILA HUBUNGI KAMI UNTUK MENGESAHKAN KEHADIRAN
UNTUK MAKLUMAT, SILA HUBUNGI:

Abdul Latif Adlin
MAFREL Selangor

Email: aladlin@yahoo.com

Yahoo Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mafrel/272242692815334

Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MAFREL/

Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/159160153939/

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By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 1/6/2012

Court denies Malaysians abroad right to vote

A Malaysian high court ruled Friday that six Malaysians working in Britain do not have the right to cast their ballots abroad despite promises of electoral reforms.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has vowed to address appeals for reforms ahead of polls widely expected to be called this year following a mass rally last July against alleged electoral fraud and irregularities.

A key demand is that the estimated one million Malaysians abroad are allowed to vote. Currently only government employees, army personnel and full-time students can vote overseas.

But on Friday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed an application by six Malaysians living overseas, ruling the Election Commission was following the rules in not allowing them to cast their ballots abroad, said Detta Samen of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

The six had wanted the court to compel the commission to register them as absent voters and amend its regulation within two weeks to allow all Malaysians to vote overseas.

Samen, who was in court for the verdict, said Malaysians abroad should have the option to vote.

"Every Malaysian citizen should be given the right to vote," he told AFP. "(Else) the element of discrimination is there."

Last month parliament adopted recommendations by a bipartisan panel for poll reforms, which Najib set up following the mass rally.

The panel's recommendations include allowing overseas voting, using indelible ink and cleaning up the electoral roll to remove deceased voters to reduce the risk of cheating.

Activists and opposition politicians claim elections are unfair and marred by fraud, enabling Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition to stay in power for more than five decades

Election Commission deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said last month that the agency was open to changing the rules but that allowing Malaysians abroad to vote could be costly and difficult since only 25,000 Malaysians abroad have registered.

The July rally saw thousands of Malaysians march through the capital Kuala Lumpur in a rare showing of discontent. Police broke up the protest with tear gas and water cannon and arrested 1,600 people