PETALING JAYA: Oversleeping, getting lost and being stopped by the police these are among the reasons why some election hopefuls missed being nominated as candidates in the past.
While the Election Commission has prepared for any eventuality in running the polls, candidates themselves must do their part to ensure a smooth GE13.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof(Pic) said a by-election candidate once missed the nomination period from 9am to 10am because that person overslept.
“There was also a candidate who got lost on the way to the nomination centre while another was stopped at a police roadblock.
“This shows that they were not serious in contesting. Such people are usually independent candidates.
“Those from political parties are more committed,” Abdul Aziz said yesterday.
He said that some candidates also forgot to bring money for their deposit or the receipt to prove that they had paid.
Abdul Aziz recalled candidates being disqualified over careless mistakes such as spelling errors when the one-hour objection period was still enforced.
“There was an odd case where the candidate, his proposer and seconder forgot to sign the nomination form, causing him to be disqualified,” he added.
Although the objection period has been abolished, the EC will do its best to help candidates avoid technical mistakes in their papers, Abdul Aziz said.
Johor Umno information chief Datuk Samsol Bari Jamali remembered a 2004 incident where a Wanita Umno leader, Shamsiah Rashidah Ibrahim, was disqualified as a candidate for the Senggarang state seat because her seconder was not from the constituency.
Samsol, who is Semarang assemblyman, said that some politicians triple-checked their papers and made many copies of their nomination forms to be safe.
“However, there are also others who are overconfident and do not trust others to check their papers,” he said.
Veteran DAP MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw said the party’s candidate for Petaling Jaya Utara in 1995, Dr Kua Kia Soong, was disqualified after his seconder failed to sign the nomination form.
“It was unreasonable because it’s a small mistake. To err is human. If it is not a serious mistake, then there should not be a problem,” said Dr Tan, who is Kepong MP.
THE STAR ONLINE
