KUCHING, April 3 – The Election Commission (EC) will not merely rely on complaints made by political parties or candidates to act against an election observer it has appointed. Instead, EC member Datuk Mohammad Ramji Alli said, the commission would verify with the returning officer or supervisor of the respective election districts first before taking any action.
“We will cross-check with our officials (at the polling centres). We will not just rely on information from outsiders (including political parties and candidates who complain about wrongdoings allegedly committed by election observers),” he said.
Mohammad Ramji was speaking to reporters after a briefing session for election observers in Sarawak here today.
He said a total of 82 election observers had been appointed by the EC for the 13th General Election (13GE) in Sarawak, involving 31 parliamentary seat elections. The observers, from eight non-governmental organisations based in the state, will be tasked in specific parliamentary constituencies.
Mohammad Ramji said the observers had also signed a pledge which spelt out their jurisdiction of duties and conditions that they needed to comply with. Meanwhile, he disclosed that 31 returning officers involved in the election process in Sarawak received their appointment letters at a separate function here. Sarawak will only hold parliamentary elections in the 13GE as the state election was already held in 2011.
BERNAMA
