'EC chief Abdul Aziz's logic is stupefying. Indelible ink does not deprive anybody of his constitutional right to vote.'

EC chief: More woes with biometrics than indelible ink

Ben-ghazi: Finally Election Commission chief Abdul Aziz Yusof has conceded that the indelible ink is more efficient. But why was he so adamant that the reverse was true before this?

As to why the indelible ink was not used in 2008, the EC chief said: "This is because the federal constitution states that no registered voter can be stopped from voting."

Then how come thousands of military personnel were prevented from voting, and instead other military personnel were allegedly assigned to vote for them ?

Abdul Aziz also said that some people may be allergic to the ink. Are there cases in other countries where people were allergic to indelible ink? Hogwash.

Wira: Simple is best. If this works for India which is the world's largest democracy, with a long history of peaceful transitions of power from one ruling party to another, it should be good for all fair-minded Malaysians.

DannyLoHH: It's mischievous of the EC chief to say that the use of biometric ink could not be used because the constitution states that no registered voter can be stopped from voting.

In current practice, there are already voters complaining that they were stopped from exercising their citizen rights by the EC by moving them to different voting stations and when they arrived, someone else had voted on their behalf.

In view of such complaints, indelible ink would ensure that no one would be able to vote twice, hence reducing the chances of phantom voters voting multiple times.

The indelible ink would not stop registered voters from voting, it would only stop people from voting multiple times, which is not against the constitution.

Kgen: Abdul Aziz's logic is stupefying. Indelible ink does not deprive anybody of his constitutional right to vote.

It only deprive cheaters the privilege of voting more than once. This requirement for a constitutional amendment is rubbish and just a delaying tactic.

L Joy: Can someone knowledgeable in the use of indelible ink advise if persons could possibly remove ink marks from their index fingers?

What about the possibility that some polling centres using not the specified indelible ink but another that could be wiped away with some effort or a special chemical?

Is there such a possibility? We can't trust the EC, can we? Not after they have allowed the electoral rolls to be ‘dirtied' in so many ways.

Secondly, this doesn't in any way check the activity of the National Registration Department (NRD) in issuing ICs to illegals numbering in the hundreds of thousands. That is treachery.

Malaysiasakit: Like the judiciary, the integrity and independence of the Election Commission must be impeccable. Then and only will the rakyat have confidence in the EC carrying out its duties without fear or favour.

Here, we have the EC first agreeing to use indelible ink in 2008 only to do a U-turn at the last minute. Then it goes about berating indelible ink as ineffective and boast about the biometric system only to make yet another U-turn.

When questioned about phantom voters, multiple voters sharing a single address, the EC claimed it had no powers to amend the electoral roll but yet it can remove errant voters at will when revealed.

With such flip-flop behaviour, I can't see how the rakyat can ever have faith in the EC being impartial.

JBGUY: The EC should be re-vamped. First of all eminent persons of high integrity should be selected.

Ex-civil servants have shown themselves to be easily manipulated by the government of the day, so the chairperson should be a retired judge with no blemishes to his name and other members could come from the academia or other professions.

Their remuneration should come from a special fund allocated through Parliament. The time has come for these changes to be made with immediate effect.

SMC77: So who is running the show now? As usual, BN likes to send out confusing messages to the public and give a false impression that they are really doing something for the rakyat.

Kee Thuan Chye: Now the EC chief is contradicting his deputy. He said that in 2008, even when word came about that someone was illegally bringing in indelible ink from Thailand, it wouldn't have mattered because they wouldn't have known which colour would be used.

If that's the case, why did the EC then decide not to use indelible ink just a few days before the GE? ow the truth is out.

No more excuses. Just go for indelible ink.

Ksn: Voters of Malaysia want the indelible ink too but the EC is unwilling as it is afraid of Umno. By the way, why is the AG's Chambers taking so long to study such a simple matter? Has the EC asked him?

Armageddon: EC chairperson Abdul Aziz said that while biometrics is the "perfect system" in theory, loopholes exist in practice". You are the loophole, Aziz.

DAP reveals 'clone wives' of army voter

FairMind: What is this? Isn't the EC supposed to check and maintain the integrity of the electoral roll?

Now the public has to do the work of checking for the EC which appears to be adopting the motto ‘catch me if you can'.

If there are so many instances of irregularities exposed by the public, how many are undiscovered?

Ghkok: The EC can just go into the database and erase an entry - with no accountability, no transparency and no auditability?

It's like a bank officer going into the bank's database and changing the data. Surely the discrepancy in the database is a piece of evidence and it is illegal for it to be destroyed.

The rakyat call for a full audit of the EC database and a royal commission of inquiry consisting of eminent people from the international arena to hold an inquiry into electoral fraud in Malaysia.

Way Forward: Yes, technically it may not be wrong to stay at the same address, but we need to confirm it. EC, if their ICs really show that they stay at the same place and but it can be proven otherwise, then make police reports.

NRD, where are you? Isn't it an offence to falsely declare the place of domicile? Is it not true that one has to update or change the IC if the address, or as a matter of fact any particulars in it, have changed?

Jail these people if they have been found to have committed a crime.

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