PETALING JAYA: The Barisan Nasional promised land titles to the Sook villagers in Keningau, Sabah, two days before general election but the grants were unsigned, Bersih People’s Tribunal report released yesterday said.
The report said the villagers were told that the BN could get the titles signed after the election. Although the BN candidates won, the authorities refused to sign the titles after the election, the report added.
The villagers have been waiting for their land titles for 30 years. According to the report, villagers in Sabah were told to vote for BN because they had received cash vouchers before and on polling day. The report was based on testimonies given by witnesses on evidence of bribery.
“Pemantau observers reported that money, and promises of economic benefit upon victory by a particular candidate in exchange of votes were common practice, especially by BN, ” it said.
The report was based on a public hearing conducted by the tribunal from Sept 18 to 21 last year. The report was released yesterday.
Indigenous Peoples’ Network secretariat director Jannie Lasimbang had testified in the tribunal that village security and development committee of every village in the Sabah were given cash to be distributed to the villagers during the campaign period.
Polling agent Siow Chun Fatt had testified that he took videos and photographs of people queuing up for money outside a house with a BN flag in Johor Baru on election day.
The video showed a woman being given RM200 after some papers were checked and signed. There was no response from the police to the report and pictures.
Based on the findings, the report concluded that there was considerable evidence that bribery was common practice in some parts of the country.
“Notably, many of the witnesses were Orang Asli and most of the evidence were against BN candidates,” the report said.
The People’s Tribunal was chaired by constitutional law expert Yash Pal Ghai.
Other panel members included former Indonesian Election Commission deputy chairman Ramlan Surbaki, former diplomatic officer from the Foreign Affairs Ministry Azzat Kamaludin, former University Malaya associate professor Mavis Puthucheary and Council of Churches of Malaysia secretary-general Hermen Shastri.
FMT Borneo Plus
The report said the villagers were told that the BN could get the titles signed after the election. Although the BN candidates won, the authorities refused to sign the titles after the election, the report added.
The villagers have been waiting for their land titles for 30 years. According to the report, villagers in Sabah were told to vote for BN because they had received cash vouchers before and on polling day. The report was based on testimonies given by witnesses on evidence of bribery.
“Pemantau observers reported that money, and promises of economic benefit upon victory by a particular candidate in exchange of votes were common practice, especially by BN, ” it said.
The report was based on a public hearing conducted by the tribunal from Sept 18 to 21 last year. The report was released yesterday.
Indigenous Peoples’ Network secretariat director Jannie Lasimbang had testified in the tribunal that village security and development committee of every village in the Sabah were given cash to be distributed to the villagers during the campaign period.
Polling agent Siow Chun Fatt had testified that he took videos and photographs of people queuing up for money outside a house with a BN flag in Johor Baru on election day.
The video showed a woman being given RM200 after some papers were checked and signed. There was no response from the police to the report and pictures.
Based on the findings, the report concluded that there was considerable evidence that bribery was common practice in some parts of the country.
“Notably, many of the witnesses were Orang Asli and most of the evidence were against BN candidates,” the report said.
The People’s Tribunal was chaired by constitutional law expert Yash Pal Ghai.
Other panel members included former Indonesian Election Commission deputy chairman Ramlan Surbaki, former diplomatic officer from the Foreign Affairs Ministry Azzat Kamaludin, former University Malaya associate professor Mavis Puthucheary and Council of Churches of Malaysia secretary-general Hermen Shastri.
FMT Borneo Plus
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