Election Commission should just conduct elections fairly. Rejection of PSM logo???

How difficult it is to register a political party in Malaysia? It is very very difficult.

The Socialist party of Malaysia (PSM - Parti Socialis Malaysia) have been trying to register their party since 1998 - and finally after many court battles, they were finally succeeded in being registered by the Resgistrar of Societies (ROS) in August 2008. [Note after GE2008 in March 2008 - and as a result PSM candidates had to contest under the name/logo of other Pakatan Rakyat parties].

One would have expected all their troubles to end - and thereafter the party can finally start its membership drive and get down to party work, etc...

But wait - now we find that Election Commission is preventing their registration as a political party for the purposes of contesting in elections. And the issue is the party logo - the clenched fist. What nonsense...

The Election Commission should merely record the already legally registered Parti Socialis Malaysis (PSM)

They have been using that symbol since day one - and how can one rightly expect them to change their logo now...[Think about it....what would be the effect if UMNO, or DAP, or PAS or BN is suddenly asked to change their logo...]

And why can't PSM use the 'clenched fist'? because “it is morally unsuitable” and “has connotations of violence.”

What about the KERIS that is used by UMNO in its logo, or the 'Rocket' in DAP's logo, and the list can go on and on....

Any reasons whatsoever...any means whatsoever is used by the UMNO-led BN government , and now the Election Commission (whose independence is in question) to ensure that UMNO led-BN government will continue to rule.

The Election Commission have overstepped its 'boundaries' a few times recently:-

- in not accepting the Perak Speaker's information that 3 State Assemblypersons of Perak had resigned (The EC's duty is thereafter to just fix the date for the by-elctions - but alas, the EC did not do this but contradicted the Perak Speaker, and declared that there was no resignation - no vacancy - no by-elections. I doubt if they would have done the same if it was some BN ruled State Assembly speaker)

- in suddenly creating a 'new rule' about not being able to display flags/materials if the said party was not contesting in the by-elctions. It was specifically directed at the Pakatan Rakyat political parties. They said that all BN parties could however do so since BN was legally See earlier post:- Only PAS flag, materials (maybe speakers later) allowed for Bkt Gantang by-elections - so UNJUST

- now this non-sense about PSM (after the ROS has approved their registration)...

Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) is concerned that if the Election Commission (EC) does not approve its party logo – a fist – it may not be able to contest in any state election.

Founding member Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj said that the EC, in its letter dated Feb 13, had questioned the PSM logo because “it is morally unsuitable” and “has connotations of violence.”....

....The EC would not be independent in its decision making if it rejects the symbol, Dr Devaraj said.

“They should be consistent in their decision since Umno has a keris symbol and the tiger symbol of an independent contesting in the Bukit Selambau by-election was approved recently,” he said.

Since PSM received approval from the Home Ministry and the ROS last August, it had submitted copies of its registration certificate, party constitution, organisation chart and party logo as required by the EC in order to register as a political party for elections, he said. - Star, 30/3/2009, PSM is still waiting for EC’s approval