VIDEO | 1.01 min

Caretaker government guidelines and codes of conduct are determined by the respective state and federal governments and are not legally binding, EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Yusof said today.

NONE "It is not punishable by law. It is up to the respective governments to follow the guidelines or code of ethics," he said.

Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim yesterday said it was okay for the federal government to use Information Department vehicles for campaigning purposes.

Abdul Aziz ( right ) refused to respond directly to Rais' statement, merely saying it was not "campaign period yet" and thus EC could do little about allegations of government machinery being used for campaigning.

Instead, Abdul Aziz said, it was the discretion of the respective state governments to determine whether government assets could be used for government-related functions until nomination day.

‘10-minute airtime should be accepted’

He also refused to be drawn into the issue concerning the government’s 10-minute airtime offer to Pakatan Rakyat to air it manifesto on Radio-Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

Abdul Aziz refused to comment on the statement yesterday by Rais ( below ) that the offer was a one-off deal, and not to be repeated over the campaign period.

NONE "I have not checked the reports so I can't comment on that," he said curtly, although Abdul Aziz had earlier been reported as saying that the airtime offer was to be carried in a serial manner and not broadcast just once.

However, Abdul Aziz urged the opposition to take up the offer nevertheless.

"Take this opportunity, don't just reject it," he said.

Abdul Aziz also expressed his satisfaction with the laws concerning the electoral roll and elections in the country.

"As far as the law is concerned, I am very satisfied," he said in response to allegations that the electoral roll is tainted with dubious voters as the country heads to its 13th general election.

"Where in the world is the electoral roll 100 percent clean?" he asked.

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