Election Commission: Indelible ink reports can’t change GE13

 

(The Star) – The Election Commission (EC) said police reports on the indelible ink would not be enough to dispute the results of the 13th general election, as the ink was only an additional element to the electoral process.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar was responding to Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim‘s police report on the indelible ink, made over three weeks after polling day on May 5.

“He continues to harp on the indelible ink issue because Pakatan Rakyat is running out of ideas.

“Pakatan’s allegation that over 45,000 Bangladeshis were phantom voters has become a laughing stock because it does not make sense at all,” Wan Ahmad said as reported by news portal, The Mole.

He also described the allegation as “grasping at straws”, adding that there had not been a single report to justify the claims.

“Anwar made a police report and ordered his supporters to do the same simply because they wanted to ensure their petition would be supported by a strong cause.

“The EC admits that there were cases in some areas that our workers had some problem with the ink. But as we said so many times, indelible ink was used as an added element to prevent multiple voting,” he said.

Wan Ahmad also said there was no way for voters to cast their ballot twice as their name would be checked and crossed by EC staff and political party agents.

The EC has also reportedly set up a special task force to investigate the different quality of the indelible ink.

“When we tested the sample, the quality was good. But things were different during polling day. So we will investigate this matter,” Wan Ahmad said.

At a rally last week, Opposition speakers had demanded re-election in constituencies where they claimed cheating had occurred on polling day, calling for EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and his team to resign.

In response, Wan Ahmad said they had done their duty in accordance with the law, and even if they were willing to step down, the new faces would be subject to the same laws.