Penang DAP: Suspicions over 2,183 booted out of EC list

The DAP has once again exposed irregularities in the third quarter of the Penang supplementary electoral roll.

Earlier this month, the party registered its complaint over 1,121 names not gazetted by the Election Commission (EC) in the second quarter voters list in Kepala Batas.

Yesterday, Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik ( left ) found that 2,183 voters from Penang were deleted from the third quarter (Jul to Sept) roll.

This number came from the pool of 40,000 'doubtful' voters which the EC had displayed for public viewing, he said.

Of this figure, 16,487 are new voters, 3,933 had changed their addresses while 2,183 - many of whom were born in the 1980s or 1990s - were listed as doubtful voters, he added.

"What if they are senior citizens? How do you expect them to check their names online to verify their details?" questioned the state DAP secretary.

Ng said the DAP has assigned its service team to check on the suspected irregularities and will report to the EC on the "suspicious" cases by Nov 2.

"The doubtful voters are probably those registered without house numbers, who only provided road names when filling their forms, and who may not be living in their constituencies," he said.

"But those who live in certain squatter areas do not have house numbers. Is it fair for the EC to delete them?" he queried at a press conference in Penang.

"Such a practice raises suspicion and can create controversy and cause dispute...did the EC investigate the cases thoroughly or just depend on the electoral roll?" he asked.

Seven days to check list

On Oct 13, the EC chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the commission would display a list of 40,000 names found in the electoral roll whose particulars it could not verify.

He said the commission would be displaying the names for public viewing on its website to enable the individuals concerned to visit the EC's office to resolve the issue.

Ng, who is political secretary to the Penang chief minister, lamented that only seven days were provided to those who wanted to appeal or complain about the roll.

"It is not enough time to double-check their identities by going from house to house, we should given at least three to five months," said Ng.

Meanwhile, Ng pointed out that according to election law, one should not register as a voter in a constituency if he or she does not live in the area.

The National Registration Department and EC have not been enforcing this regulation but have abruptly deleted these voters from the list, he said.

"We have come to know that many voters in Tanjong are moving away from their constituency...is the EC trying to deny them their voting rights?" he asked.

Penang state executive committee member for local government, transportation and environment and state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow ( right ) is the MP for Tanjung.

Too few deaths in Penang

Ng also expressed suspicion that a few other constituencies recorded "extraordinarily high" numbers of new voters.

These constituences included Paya Terubong (1,177 new voters) Seberang Jaya (709 new and 241 who changed addresses) and Machang Bubuk (967 new and 208 who changed addresses).

"We cannot rule out that someone is trying to move voters to retain their seats or to capture the areas...it looks like Umno is trying to retain Seberang Jaya, while Gerakan wants to recapture Machang Bubuk," he claimed.

Ng blamed the EC for incomplete addresses in the electoral roll, adding that many voters in Taman Bukit, Padang Lallang, did not provide road names in their addresses.

Ng has pointed out that a mere 29 voters were deleted from the third quarter supplementary roll due to death.

"Does this mean no voter had died in half of the constituencies in Penang for the past three months? Are the lifespan of Penangites so long? Compared to the second quarter list, a total of 1,357 voters were deleted due to death," he said.

"We hope the government will only call for election after electoral reforms take place," he concluded.