PETALING JAYA, MAY 29- Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah said that Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has missed the whole point of using the indelible ink.
“He has missed the point about the usage of indelible ink and the EC’s guarantee that the ink will last for seven days was proved otherwise.
“Therefore on that account, he must be held accountable,’ she said.
The EC recently dismissed fraudulent allegations related to the usage of indelible ink during the general election.
“It is impossible for a voter to vote for the second time. There are no duplications in the electoral registration,” said Wan Ahmad.
Before the election, the EC had assured that the ink, when marked on a finger, will last for seven days to prevent double voting.
However, reports of the ink coming off surfaced after advanced voters had their left index fingers inked.
On April 30, several military personnel alleged that the ink could be removed within minutes after being applied.
“How can the EC assure us that advanced voters did not vote for a second time?” queried Maria.
Wan Ahmad explained that the quality of the ink does not affect a candidate’s victory or defeat in any election, as the names and identity numbers of the voters will be cancelled by the polling agents upon voting, thus dismissing any fears of phantom voters voting more than once.
“Of course the names get cancelled, but what about the postal voters? There is no list for the postal voters, we do not know who they are.
“There’s no guarantee that these people did not vote again. So this is not a matter of cancelling the names,” she said.
No accountability
Maria (photo) also lambasted the EC for failing to use high quality indelible ink and failing to inform the people on the exact cost of the indelible ink.
“They did not get high quality ink, we don’t know the exact cost of the ink and the EC did not even inform where the ink was from. Where is the accountability in this?
“Using the tax payer’s money as they like, and treating the public like kindergarten students, do they think that the public is stupid?
“Therefore, they have to face the consequences. The whole of EC, if they have the integrity, should resign,” she said.
On Wan Ahmad saying that they will not resign as the calls by the public for them to resign is based on “slander”, and will only resign if the Yang di-Pertuan Agong tells them to, she said: “Anyone can resign from a job, you do not need the Agong to ask you to do that.
“If you think you’ve done something wrong, don’t you think that you should resign, on your own free will?
“If I were to steal from the public, I would definitely resign,” she said.
Maria added that the government has been evasive in getting the EC to be an independent body.
“I don’t think the government is dealing with the issue for the EC to be independent. The EC should be a body of its own, away from the government.
“It can receive support from the government, but it should not be attached to any ministerial department,” she said.
