Tension looms over EC 'pondok panas' tear-down threat
Tension and confusion are expected for polling day in Hulu Selangor tomorrow as the EC warns both parties not to set up any pondok panas near polling stations.
Tension and confusion are expected for polling day in Hulu Selangor tomorrow as the Election Commission (EC) has warned both contesting parties not to set up any pondok panas (voter info counters) near polling stations.
According to EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, these info counters are used by parties to fish for last minute votes, and he warned that the EC will tear them down.
He was referring to the information counters which PKR had intended to set up at every polling station to help voters locate the correct polling station.
“This is just a gimmick. If they truly want to help voters find their polling stations, they could have done this prior to polling day,” Abdul Aziz told reporters at Kuala Kubu Bharu today.
PKR had intended their 'logistics counters' to address the confusion caused to roughly 14,000 voters whose polling stations have been moved .
The party claims that voters' transfer of polling stations was a deliberate ploy to affect voter turnout as a means to boost Barisan Nasional’s chances of winning the by-election.
Abdul Aziz denied the allegations saying the stations are being moved for practical reasons, for example, to avoid traffic congestion and where the original locations were inconvenient.
The EC chairperson assured it would not affect voter turnout as most of the new locations are close to the original ones - as close as 'a three-minute walk' away - and should be easy for voters to spot when heading towards their original stations.
‘Check first’
Responding to the EC’s refusal to allow their 'info booths', PKR Wanita chief Fuziah Salleh ( below , left ) is advising voters to double-check their stations to ensure they are at the correct one before joining the queue to vote
She added that PKR will provide transport to voters who find that their names have been moved to a new polling station.
To ensure maximum voter turnout in the face of potential confusion over relocation of voters, PKR is intending to provide at least 30 cars and motorcycles for each of the 49 polling stations.
Today's decision to forbid the 'info booths' will further strain the relationship between PKR and the EC.
Earlier, tensions arose when PKR accused the commission of moving about 300 PKR-friendly voters in Sungai Choh to the neighbouring constituency of Selayang.
Dead voters still registered
The party also claims that out of the 201 registered voters aged over 90, they have found nine who have already passed away, further raising anxiety over 'phantom voters'.
Abdul Aziz explained that this was beyond the EC’s control at this juncture. “We finalised the registered voting list on March 25, the day the incumbent passed away. If anyone passed away after that, there is nothing we can do about it,” he said.
According to him, the list was updated for deaths based on information forwarded by the National Registration Department, police stations, hospitals and relatives.
When asked about claims that BN candidate P Kamalanthan is a ‘phantom voter’ in Sungai Siput, Abdul Aziz maintained that it was not illegal for him to be registered as a voter there ( above ).
“(PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim) is a registered voter in Kota Bharu. It’s not a problem,” he cited as an example.
The BN candidate’s Sungai Siput voter-registration raised questions because it was his party boss MIC president S Samy Vellu’s constituency before the latter lost the seat in 2008.
Selangor exco Xavier Jayakumar made this revelation campaigning at Hulu Selangor. Kamalanathan claims that he was born, brought up and has been residing in Rawang all his life.
