By Shannon Teoh
KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accused his archrival Datuk Seri Najib Razak of electoral fraud in the prime minister’s constituency of Pekan, pointing to the increase of 18,500 voters there since Election 2008.
The PKR de facto leader told a press conference this was more than three times the 5,000 increase in Kuantan, an urban seat currently held by PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh.
“Such great development there while all the neighbouring constituencies grew so little.
“Umno is fully aware of this as they say the Election Commission (EC) has a duty to protect Malays, meaning to protect Umno,” the opposition leader said.
The increase in Pekan as of the third quarter of 2011 is over 30 per cent from the 58,217 on the electoral roll at March 2008 whereas Kuantan saw just over 10 per cent added to the existing 47,745 voters there.
Najib retained his Pekan seat in 2008 with a majority of 26,464.
Anwar said this showed there was a “large-scale conspiracy” by the EC to cheat in the registration of voters and demanded it allow Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to fully audit its voter registration system.
“We revealed 79,000 voters at 354 addresses which had more than 100 voters registered. Once you include addresses with five, 10, 20, 50 voters, there will be half a million,” the Permatang Pauh MP added.
Najib had agreed to form a bipartisan Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reforms last August after widespread condemnation of his administration following the clampdown on the July 9, 2011 Bersih rally.
Tens of thousands of protestors calling for free and fair elections poured into the streets of the capital in chaotic scenes which saw over 1,500 arrested, scores injured and the death of an ex-soldier.
However, since the panel was formed, PR has claimed that at least 42,000 dubious voters have not been removed from the electoral roll despite the EC promising to do so.