Question : How many specific amendments to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia are there?
Answer : 377. And that is just based on Listing according to Articles.
Question : How man articles are there in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia?
Answer : 183, not including articles added or subtracted by amendments.
With 377 specific amendments on 183 articles, the Federal Constitution of Malaysia could have been rewritten twice over (183×2=366) with 11 amendments to spare.
Yes, you should be alarmed. And petrified.
And that is not the end. Today (20th November 2007), there was a first reading of Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007.
According to MalaysiaKini, the amendment is to allow the Election Commission Chief to serve until the age of 66 from current 65.
Now that may seem harmless to many, but let us examine the facts surrounding this amendment.
- The current EC chief, Rashid will be 65 years old come 31 December 2007.
- 12th General Election is slated to be early next year.
- There was massive unconstitutional invisible re-demarkation of constituency at Ipoh Timur and Ipoh Barat. Both DAP incumbent constituency; Uncle Kit is MP of Ipoh Timur.
- Citizens who never register as voters found themselves registered and voted in previous General Elections without their knowledge.
- Voters found themselves de-registered (missing) from SPR database.
- Voters found themselves transfered away from their constituency to a new constituency hundreds of kilometers away.
- Unbelievable numbers of voters who are over hundred years old.
- Voters who have passed on still remain in the voters list for a long long time.
It is very clear that Abdullah Badawi wants Rashid’s “service” to “handle” the 12th General Election, for obvious reasons.
Lets explore another possible reason, which is even more harmful than extension of Rashid’s tenure.
Below, I quote the portion of Article 114 from Part VIII Elections of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia:
Article 114. Constitution of Election Commission.
(1) The Election Commission shall be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after consultation with the Conference of Rulers, and shall consist of a chairman, a deputy chairman and five other members.
(2) In appointing members of the Election Commission the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall have regard to the importance of securing an Election Commission which enjoys public confidence.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong after consultation with the Conference of Rulers have unequivocal and final say to whom he shall appoint a chairman, a deputy chairman and five other members.
I smell a rat that the Abdullah Badawi (BN government) might try to water down the powers of Yang di-Pertuan Agong through this ultra secretive and rushed amendments to the Federal Constitution.
If you have wondered why BERSIH have gone to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for clean and fair election. The answers lies in Article 55 (not covered in this piece) and Article 114 of the Federal Constitution.
Abdullah Badawi’s super fast track amendment on the constitution without consultation with the Rakyat is of grave concern and consequences.
The Federal Constitution, though with the sea of amendments, belongs to the Rakyat. It is what hold all of us together. Without that piece of document, the nation will be no more.
Since the Federal Constitution of Malaysia belongs to the people, the Rakyat of Malaysia, how can it be amended so that ONE PERSON might continue his tenure so that he can “deliver” the 12th General Election?
Ten days after BERSIH Rally, on 20th November 2007, Abdullah Badawi is amending the Federal Constitution regarding Election Commission. 21st November 2007, is the second reading. I am very very worried.
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