A comprehensive study needs to be carried out on the e-voting system that will be used for the first time in PKR elections to ensure their effectiveness level is not questioned by party members.

Perak PKR chairperson Muhammad Nur Manuty said although the system was able to expedite the voting process, the constraints in terms of the broadband network facilities should be taken into account.

“There are good areas, some are lacking and there are some with no broadband network at all. So the challenge from this aspect needs to be given.   

“We are worried this process of democracy is not going well as expected by the leadership before the elections are being held in August until September," he told reporters after the Perak PKR Aidilfitri open house in Gopeng Town Hall here last night.

Yesterday PKR secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the party was running tests on the e-voting system, aimed at identifying any problems before the voting process took place, involving 800,000 PKR members nationwide.

Saifuddin, who is also Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP, said the vote counting process was also done automatically in the system. and the full results would be announced by the PKR election committee after the 800,000 party members nationwide had voted.

Nur said, in principle, he acknowledged that online voting was able to save on costs and new party members were also using the same method.

He said it had indirectly convinced the top leadership of PKR to continue using the system.

“The last election through the previous system (manual) cost RM2.6 million, but this system is said to cost just around RM200,000, it is a good thing to accept," he added.

- Bernama