'Planted', not 'phantom' voters
Three DAP members of Parliament who met Election Commission chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman came away today with his denial that the current electoral roll includes 2.8 million phantom voters.
DAP secretary-general and Kota Melaka MP Kerk Kim Hock (
photo
) quoted Rashid as saying that he disagreed with this view.
"However, he did not reject the possibility that there could be 'planted voters' in certain constituencies," Kerk told journalists after the hour-long meeting at the Election Commission headquarters.
Kerk, who was accompanied by Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai and Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, said the group was informed that even if there were planted voters, the figure may not amount to 2.8 million.
Umno had recently expressed concern over the alleged inclusion of some 2.8 million phantom voters in the electoral roll, which it had linked to the opposition parties' strategy to win the election.
"He (Rashid) told us that he disagreed with the allegation and that he believed that the issue was raised out of confusion regarding the definition of the term," Kerk said.
"But he told us that the EC believed that, in the past, the planted voters could have been possibly registered in certain constituencies by some temporary workers (whose job it is to update the electoral roll)."
Points of discussion
Kerk said Rashid explained that the misunderstanding could have arisen where the voter's address on the identity card did not match the constituency listed in the electoral roll.
"I was also informed that the EC is in the process of completing the redelineation exercise and hopes that the new boundaries will be ready before June," he added.
On the progress of the voter registration exercise, Kerk said the EC chief agreed the process was a bit slow. Rashid therefore suggested that political parties and non-governmental organisation should lend a hand.
On EC's latest proposal to require all election candidates and political parties to sign the 'Akujanji' pledge, Kerk said his delegation had conveyed DAP's objection to the idea.
"We instead suggested that all political parties be invited into the process of setting the new election code of conduct to ensure a free, clean, fair and peaceful elecion," said Kerk.
He added that Rashid had agreed in principle that the word 'Akujanji' was not too appropriate and that some other term would be considered.
"Rashid has also given an assurance that a candidate will only be disqualified if he or she is proven guilty in court," he added.
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