It said that with EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh due to retire next month, the government must appoint the incoming chairman “wisely”, especially as the upcoming vacancy comes at a critical time for Malaysia, coinciding with the redelineation of electoral boundaries in Sarawak (ongoing), Sabah (2025), and Peninsular Malaysia (2026).
In a statement, the group added that the next EC chairman should have no affiliation with any political party, and should be able to reform the country’s electoral system.
Noting that electoral reforms and good governance had long been Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) rallying cry, Undi18 said it would be a “betrayal of the people’s mandate” should the government miss the opportunity to appoint a “competent, independent, and reform-minded” EC chairman.
“Undi18 strongly urges the prime minister to ensure that the Madani government’s spirit of transparency, accountability, and reform is reflected in the appointment of the new EC chairman,” it said.
“The government must ensure that an independent and reform-minded EC chairman (is appointed) as a shepherd for Malaysia’s democracy – regardless of which party wins power in the future.
“… it must also commit to non-interference in the EC’s duties to allow it to operate independently and fairly for the interests of all Malaysians.”
It also called on the government to establish an independent parliamentary standing committee for appointments to scrutinise the appointment of key government officials such as the EC chairman – a key aspect of PH’s election manifesto.
Undi18 said the redelineation of electoral boundaries was particularly crucial as it would be the first electoral boundary review since the implementation of the Undi18 Bill which has seen over eight million new voters added to the electoral roll.
It said the government must ensure that the redelineation exercise takes place independently and transparently, and without any interference from the administration or politicians.
Undi18 also urged the EC to speed up reforms for other aspects of the country’s electoral system such as changes to the postal voting system, amendments to the Electoral Offences Act, and the implementation of election expenditure audits for candidates and political parties.