Author: Lochna Menon

The Borneo Case | GUIDE: Setting Up For A Film Screening

Lochna Menon

GLOBAL BERSIH CITY COORDINATORS: WE NEED YOU! Global Bersih is excited to announce a worldwide documentary screening of The Borneo Case with participating global cities to bring fellow Malaysians together on this day. The cities who have so far pledged to participate are Busan, Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Auckland, Geneva, Paris, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart, Delft, London, Glasgow, Los Angeles, Washington, Minneapolis and San Francisco. WHY SEPTEMBER 16? Malaysia Day is held on 16 September every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. It marked the historic…

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What happens when you ‘kena bantah’?

Lochna Menon

What is ‘Bantahan’? As a check against phantom voters, ordinary citizens may submit an objection or ‘bantahan‘ against a suspicious application to become a voter, such as 70 people living at one address. This is provided for under regulation 15 of the Elections (Registration of Electors) Act. How do you know your application has been ‘dibantah’? When you check here, your status is marked as ‘dibantah’ (objected). What do I do if I kena bantah? Contact SPR’s office to check on the date and time of your inquiry. Find a representative (friend…

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#hungparliament : WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

Lochna Menon

(Scroll down to read the article in Bahasa Malaysia)   The media is abuzz with the term: a#HungParliament. Fret not! Nobody will be hung / hanged out to dry or die. It simply means that there is no political party (or a pre-election alliance or coalition) that wins a ‘simple majority’ – meaning 50% + 1 of the seats – thus will be able to form a government in its own right. What will happen then? Well, many possibilities! [1] But let us look at the process step by step.…

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The New Election Boundaries: Where GE-14 will be won or lost

Lochna Menon

Earlier this month, in historic legal victories, BERSIH 2.0 Outreach Officer Chan Tsu Chong along with six others were granted leave and a stay order to challenge the Election Commission’s (EC) delineation proposals in Melaka. This means the process of re-drawing the election boundaries for Melaka has been suspended until the court case is completed. This builds upon the work already done in Selangor to challenge the new proposals. The importance of these legal challenges for the fate of the Fourteenth General Election (GE14) can’t be overstated. The EC’s motivations for the new boundaries are obvious.…

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Interview with Global Bersih : On GE-14

Lochna Menon

Can you please briefly share with us the background of Global Bersih and when was it established? Following the success of Bersih 2 and 3 and catalysed by GE13, Global Bersih was officially formed in 2014 as an NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its primary purpose is to support Malaysian civil society’s campaign for democracy and free and fair elections in a more formal, concerted and co-ordinated approach. All our steering committee members are unpaid volunteers, as is our network of city coordinators. In your opinion, should every Malaysian who…

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M’sians Living Overseas, What You Need To Do If You Want To Vote In GE14 (Malaysian Digest)

Lochna Menon

Over the course several months, there have been heavy speculations that we might not have to wait a full five years for the next General Election (GE). As a matter of fact, the year 2017 kicked off with Malaysians rushing off to the post office to be registered as voters to exercise their right to vote. While those based in Malaysia can easily sign up and perhaps endure a long waiting period as they wait their turn to be registered, the same cannot be said for Malaysians who are based…

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