Bersih a hypocrite and Anwar in dire straits, says lawyer

A lawyer has hit out at electoral watchdog Bersih for saying the distribution of RM100 each to some 10 million Malaysians is not in breach of its guidelines for elections, reminding it of its long-held stance against the giving of pre-polls incentives.

Rafique Rashid said Bersih had always fought for free and fair elections, especially in the context of government incentives ahead of polling day. 

He also recalled Bersih's criticism of the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia aid announced by the administration of Ismail Sabri Yaakob for helping B40 families prepare for the monsoon and flood season. 

"Forget Bersih. How is this different from what is being done by the Madani government?" he said, referring to the catchphrase used by the administration of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"Is this not too close to the six upcoming elections which have been described as a referendum on the Madani administration?"

Bersih chairman Thomas Fann had said that Anwar's announcement of e-cash aid worth some RM1 billion in total did not violate the group's guidelines for elections. 

He said the guidelines were issued as it was clear that the state governments were "temporary administrations" and could not use government resources to campaign, or make any announcements about allocations. 

"But the behaviour of the federal government which is not in interim government mode is not clear," he added.

Bersih said in a later Facebook post that an evaluation of the manner of the government's handouts showed that none of its "3Cs" – no conditions, no campaign and no candidates – was violated. 

"In contrast, the Ismail Sabri government was in caretaker mode during GE15 when he announced allocations and used the unapproved 2023 budget in his campaign. 

"As we are entering a new era where federal and state elections are decoupled, we need new and clearer guidelines to ensure that governments do not abuse their incumbency advantage. In such unprecedented circumstances, the timing of federal allocations is regrettable as it could and would be easily construed as an attempt to fish for votes using taxpayers' monies.

"Nonetheless, we do not think it violates our 3Cs or any laws," it said. 

Rafique said that Bersih, which had always fought for justice and transparency in the electoral system, was caught up in the same issues "haunting" Anwar's coalition government. 

"This is to say that Bersih has become like the Madani government – a hypocrite," he added. 

In addition to the RM100 to be credited into the e-wallets of 10 million Malaysians, Anwar had announced special aid of RM300 for civil servants and RM200 in appreciation of government pensioners. 

Rafique said Anwar appeared to be in desperate straits as such announcements are normally made around the time of the annual budget presentation. 

"For eight months, there has been almost nothing but now magically, aid and ideas have appeared," he said, referring to Anwar's 40-page announcement. 

"We need to take a good look at this. What is meant by 'Madani Economy: Empowering the People'?" 

He also noted the demographics of those who would receive the aid, saying the majority were voters who would be going to the polls come Aug 12. 

Rafique said there was nothing wrong with channelling aid to the people, adding that it was in fact a good and praiseworthy deed. 

However, he questioned the timing of Anwar's announcement. 

"It's not a festive season, the start of a new school year, or a period of emergency like it was during the Covid-19 pandemic," he said. 

"This is election season. This is campaign season. This means that it is also the season for vote-fishing, and it looks like the bait is being spread shamelessly for the sake of remaining in power." 

He said many would say that the aid was due to the challenging economic situation, and that it would help to some extent in easing the burden of the people. 

"I agree," he added. "But why now?"