State Barisan Nasional accepts

Bipartisan approval

theborneopost.com. Posted on December 21, 2011, Wednesday

Datuk Fadillah Yusof

KUCHING: BN, opposition unanimous in approving use of indelible ink in next polls.
The state Barisan Nasional (BN) accepts with open arms the decision made by the Election Commission (EC) to use indelible ink for voters in the next general election.
State BN Youth chief Datuk Fadillah Yusof said though he had reservation about the new ruling, he concurred with the EC saying, “It was a decision made by a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and was agreed upon by both sides of the political divide.”
He said that the new system did not mean that the present system was faulty; giving an advantage to the BN to win past elections.
“The results of past elections were based on the decision of the voters. If the EC has been the tool of the BN government as alleged by the opposition, then the BN would have won all past elections 100 per cent.
“And if the EC is a tool of the BN, then why is the opposition able to win in Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan in the last general election,” Fadillah said when contacted yesterday.
Fadillah, who is also Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, said his ministry had actually recommended the biometric voter verification system but it was turned down by the PSC.
PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing said the use of indelible ink would “beat the people who know how to cheat”.
“It will improve the present system in tandem with the need of the time,” he said.
State Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chief Baru Bian said the use of indelible ink was timely to ensure fairness in the election process.
“With the new method, the opposition has a higher chance of winning in the coming general election,” said Baru, who is also Ba Kelalan assemblyman.
State EC director Datu Takun Suggah, meanwhile, said that they would be training 31 returning officers for the 31 parliamentary seats in the state some time in February next year to ensure they were well-versed in the new method.
Returning officers must also be aware that the respective candidates would no longer be allowed to withdraw or object after the nomination period.
On Monday, EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof announced that all voters, except postal voters, would be required to have their fingers marked with indelible ink when voting in the next general election.
He also said the commission had agreed to several recommendations made by the PSC on electoral reforms, and the use of indelible ink was one of them.
Abdul Aziz said the ink, which contains silver nitrate, had been identified and sent to various departments for further testing to ensure it was safe.
These include the Chemistry Department, Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), National Fatwa Council and the Health Ministry.
“We want to make sure the ink is not removable, and will stay on a person’s finger for at least a few days,” Abdul Aziz told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
He added that the ink would not affect the religious practices of Muslim voters as it has been used for Muslims in some countries.
Abdul Aziz said that after the indelible ink requirement was implemented, there would not be any need for a biometric voter verification system.
He said the use of the ink should prevent multiple voting.
The EC had planned to use indelible ink in the 2008 general election and had spent RM2.4mil buying the ink but cancelled the move at the last minute, citing public order and security issues.
The use of indelible ink has also been a key demand of the Bersih coalition for electoral reforms.
In the next general election, all military personnel and members of the General Operations Force, as well as their spouses, and the police force will vote two to three days before polling day.