Indelible ink 'will not stain ballot papers'
Indelible ink will not stain ballot papers because it dries quickly, said Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.
Indelible ink will not stain ballot papers because it dries quickly, said Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.
"Just now, I didn't hear any people complain that the ink dirtied their ballot papers - not even one. It dries in three or four seconds," he said after observing the advance voting process at the Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
The ink, which is painted on the voter's index finger, was used for the first time today in Malaysia, among those who have registered for advance voting ahead of the polls on Sunday.
Abdul Aziz said the application of ink with a brush has achieved the intended effect of minimising spills and drips, which has been a problem in jurisdictions where the voter's finger is dipped into an inkwell instead.
Allying concerns that the scheme would fail, Abdul Aziz said the ink would last at least seven days.
The colour of the ink to be used on Sunday will be from that used for advance voting, which is reddish-purple
(right)
.
"No, I cannot mention the colour. I don't want people to copy," he said when asked to elaborate.
He explained that the ink is applied before the ballot is marked, to prevent voters from refusing to be inked after voting or leaving before the ink can be applied.
EC secretary Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria had previously sought to reassure voters by saying that they may exchange ballot papers that are accidentally smudged for replacements.
There have been concerns that the ballot papers may be deemed ‘spoiled’ if smudged with the ink.
Postings on social media have urged voters to prevent this by wrapping their finger with cling-film after the ink is applied.
Use of the ink is among demands of Bersih, the coalition for clean and fair elections, and a subsequent recommendation by the parliamentary select committee on electoral reform in order to deter ‘phantom’ voters.
On PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's allegation yesterday that EC election paraphernalia and documents had been found scattered across a derelict factory floor in Kajang, Abdul Aziz said the allegation is serious.
He pledged to look into the matter after he receives an official report.
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