pywong
20th November 2010, 12:28 PM
There is only one way to solve this problem. Kick out UMNO once and for all.
Switched to postal voter without being told
Salhan K Ahmad
Nov 20, 10
A sudden hike in the number of postal votes in Penang and Kedah has put the Election Commission (EC) under the spotlight again for all the wrong reasons, with PAS questioning the former's transparency in handling the electoral rolls.
Penang PAS is demanding answers to a surge of some 630 postal voters registered in the state's various constituencies, such as Tasek Gelugor.
One voter affected by the status change noted that she was unaware that she is a postal voter now, despite casting her ballots previously as a regular voter.
The 29-year-old teacher, who with her soldier husband is currently based in Sarawak, said she only discovered this out recently after a PAS leader in Penang helped check her voting status.
"I had no idea (my status was changed). I was told by the PAS leader that after checking the rolls, I was no longer listed as a regular voter," she said when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.
State PAS election department secretary Mohd Jamil Abdul Rahman said they noticed the spike in postal voters late last month, when the EC put up its updated rolls for display over a week-long period.
He said PAS Penang has already filed formal complaints with the EC over the teacher's case and several other similar ones identified since then.
"We protested with the EC because the voters were not notified of the change in status. When it comes time to vote, their names are not there (on the regular rolls)... this is the problem," he said.
'Evil partnership' between EC, Armed Forces'
PAS Kedah also claims facing a similar situation, with Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak (left) accusing the EC and Armed Forces of having an "evil partnership" to commit fraud in the electoral rolls of several areas in the state.
Malay daily Sinar Harian quoted Azizan as saying that they found as many as 283 new voters registered at the Bukit Kayu Hitam army camp.
"After checking, the new names are made up of the wives of the soldiers.
"What is strange is that the camp does not include family quarters, but only serves as a base for operations," said the menteri besar, who also urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the EC over the alleged fraud.
Azizan, who is also PAS Kedah commissioner, added that a similar situation was found at a jungle base for wataniah or reserve soldiers, where their wives were also registered under the base although no families live there.
The opposition has raised the issue of postal voters time and again as they claimed such voters could be deployed in marginal seats to give the ruling BN the edge. Malaysiakini. Subscription required. (http://malaysiakini.com/news/148685)
Switched to postal voter without being told
Salhan K Ahmad
Nov 20, 10
A sudden hike in the number of postal votes in Penang and Kedah has put the Election Commission (EC) under the spotlight again for all the wrong reasons, with PAS questioning the former's transparency in handling the electoral rolls.
Penang PAS is demanding answers to a surge of some 630 postal voters registered in the state's various constituencies, such as Tasek Gelugor.
One voter affected by the status change noted that she was unaware that she is a postal voter now, despite casting her ballots previously as a regular voter.
The 29-year-old teacher, who with her soldier husband is currently based in Sarawak, said she only discovered this out recently after a PAS leader in Penang helped check her voting status.
"I had no idea (my status was changed). I was told by the PAS leader that after checking the rolls, I was no longer listed as a regular voter," she said when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.
State PAS election department secretary Mohd Jamil Abdul Rahman said they noticed the spike in postal voters late last month, when the EC put up its updated rolls for display over a week-long period.
He said PAS Penang has already filed formal complaints with the EC over the teacher's case and several other similar ones identified since then.
"We protested with the EC because the voters were not notified of the change in status. When it comes time to vote, their names are not there (on the regular rolls)... this is the problem," he said.
'Evil partnership' between EC, Armed Forces'
PAS Kedah also claims facing a similar situation, with Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak (left) accusing the EC and Armed Forces of having an "evil partnership" to commit fraud in the electoral rolls of several areas in the state.
Malay daily Sinar Harian quoted Azizan as saying that they found as many as 283 new voters registered at the Bukit Kayu Hitam army camp.
"After checking, the new names are made up of the wives of the soldiers.
"What is strange is that the camp does not include family quarters, but only serves as a base for operations," said the menteri besar, who also urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the EC over the alleged fraud.
Azizan, who is also PAS Kedah commissioner, added that a similar situation was found at a jungle base for wataniah or reserve soldiers, where their wives were also registered under the base although no families live there.
The opposition has raised the issue of postal voters time and again as they claimed such voters could be deployed in marginal seats to give the ruling BN the edge. Malaysiakini. Subscription required. (http://malaysiakini.com/news/148685)