Maria Chin is new Bersih 2.0 chief

PETALING JAYA: Human rights activist Maria Chin Abdullah (pic) is the new chair of Bersih 2.0 or The Coalition of Free and Fair Elections. She was the only candidate nominated for the top position.

Current co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan will officially step down from her position on Nov 30.

Bersih 2.0, which is the electoral watchdog for elections, is holding its first-ever elections for its Steering Committee members.

The elections will take place on Nov 30, 2013 in the Petaling Jaya Community Library.

The vice-chair position will be a two-cornered fight between Monash academician Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa and activist Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.

Centre of Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah will face Nahar Mohd Ikram for the treasurer’s post.

Five nominees, K. Arumugam, Ng Chak Ngoon, Farhana Binti Halim, Hishamuddin Rais and New Sin Yew, will fight it out for the two Steering Committee members' seats.

Nomination forms for the five office bearers were sent out on Oct 23 and the nomination period closed on Nov 8.

The election committee, led by former Suhakam member Muhd Sha’ani Abdullah, human rights lawyer Roger Chan and Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall secretary-general Stanley Yong declared the campaign period for the elections open and that campaigning had to end at midnight of Nov 29.

The five-member national level steering committee team will serve a two-year term.