Voters in Segamat camp under construction: I welcome Hishammuddin’s assurance

Media statement by DAP Johor Chairman and MP for Kluang Liew Chin Tong on 2nd November 2017

I had a brief conversation with Minister of Defense Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein at Parliament’s lobby this morning on the question of voters in the yet-to-be-completed Segamat camp. We spoke privately after he answered two parliamentary questions in the Chamber.

I submitted an emergency Minister’s Question Time question for today’s session on the subject, which reads:

Encik Liew Chin Tong [Kluang] minta Perdana Menteri menyatakan apakah pertimbangan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya dalam membenarkan permohonan sejumlah 1,051 orang anggota tentera beserta ahli keluarga supaya membuat pendaftaran dalam Daftar Pemilih ke lokaliti Kem Segamat, DUN Jementah, Parlimen Segamat, Johor memandangkan Kem Tentera tersebut masih dalam proses pembinaan.

But, unfortunately, the question was not selected to be replied.

In our conversation, Hisham reiterated what he told the Press yesterday, viz

“It is also crazy to transfer military personnel without preparing housing there because those sent there will not vote for us. Logically speaking, that makes no sense.”

While Hisham told the Press that the Army Chief would have to reply to question on the subject, I asked Hishammuddin, as the Minister responsible, to intervene instead.

The 2017 3rd quarter Supplementary Electoral Rolls, which were currently being displayed, showed that 1,079 military personnel and their spouses were registered to vote in the P140 Segamat parliamentary and N02 Jementah state constituencies.

Of the total, he said 1,051 voters were registered at Kem Segamat and 28 others at Regiment 501 Territorial Army Kem Segamat.

The Segamat camp is only due to be completed in April 2018.

Two other camps are being constructed in Johor, namely in Sembrong and Pagoh, which we suspect are designed to bring military voters to help to win seats. Voters have not been officially registered in these new camps as yet.

I hope Hisham will act speedily to direct the Army to withdraw these names from the 3rd Quarter of Electoral Roll of Segamat parliamentary seat.

I also call on Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr. Subramanian to openly commit not to play dirty in the coming general election. As MIC President and a senior minister in the Cabinet, he should not have to rely on shifting military voters into yet-to-completed military camps just to win the seat.