Media Statement
5 December 2019

The new Special Select Committee on Elections will have an important role to play in ensuring the success electoral reform in Malaysia

Earlier in October 2019, parliament approved the formation of four new Special Select Committees. The parliamentary Committee of Selection has tabled a report today (5 December 2019) to announce the appointment of MPs into these new committees, along with changes in the other existing committees.

I am pleased that I have been appointed to the new Special Select Committee on Elections, and I thank the Committee of Selection for entrusting me with this responsibility. Indeed, this is a heavy responsibility because electoral reform is one of the main promises in PH’s manifesto. I pledge to do my best to ensure that meaningful electoral reforms can be carried out as soon as possible.

The Special Select Committee on Elections will have several crucial roles to play. First, it should investigate the manipulation and wrongdoings that were done in the last general elections. This is to ensure that the perpetrators can be brought to just justice and weaknesses in our electoral system can be identified.

Second, the Special Select Committee on Elections must be proactive in pushing for electoral reform. Currently, the cabinet has mandated the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) to study and propose recommendations for electoral reform, and the ERC will be submitting its interim report soon.

The Special Select Committee on Elections will complement ERC’s function because it is a bipartisan parliamentary committee. This means that there will be more scrutiny on the issue of electoral reform, and neither the ERC, cabinet, nor the Election Commission can rush through changes in parliament.

Third, the establishment of the Special Select Committee on Elections means there will now be a formal structure that enables the Election Commission to report directly to parliament instead of the Prime Minister’s Office. This is an important step towards strengthening the independence of the Election Commission.

I look forward to working together with my colleagues in the Special Select Committee on Elections to ensure that our country will have a clean and fair electoral system in the future.

My appointment to this new committee also means that I will no longer be part of the Special Committee on Budget. I wish to thank my fellow members in the Special Committee on Budget, especially the Chairperson, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, for the cooperation and comradery shown throughout our work in that committee.

Khoo Poay Tiong
MP Kota Melaka