PETALING JAYA: Anwar Ibrahim, who is contesting the Port Dickson seat in the upcoming by-election, today sought to clarify his comment on the Election Commission (EC) and Bersih 2.0 whom he had admonished over the electoral watchdog’s warning against attending a concert on Saturday.
At a dinner event in Lukut last night, the PKR president-elect said his team did things according to the law and rules.
“We respect Bersih and the EC. Because of that, they should not abuse their power. Don’t be too much,” he said.
In a statement today, he said he respected the role and authority of the EC and admired and appreciated the work of Bersih, whom he credited for Malaysia’s achievement of a modern electoral democracy.
“Apart from a watchdog role, the EC and Bersih however should also play the part of facilitator to ensure that both candidates and the electorate are able to access each other seamlessly during the campaign period.
“In this respect, perhaps for the future we need to discuss if there are certain flexibilities that may be considered, to enhance the accessibility of candidates to the electorate during campaign periods without breaching any regulations,” he said.
He also suggested that certain aspects of existing regulations be looked at to determine whether they were “too constricting on the movement of candidates” or hampered the people’s access to their leaders or those aspiring to lead them.
The concert which drew about 2,000 people was also attended by Anwar’s wife, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
It was organised by Pertubuhan Khidmat Kebajikan Masyarakat Madani, the Anwar Ibrahim Club and Muafakat Anak Muda.
Held at the PD Waterfront, it featured top local artistes such as M Nasir (Mohamad Nasir Mohamed) and Awie (Ahmad Azhar Othman).