EC cleaning up electoral rolls, says it will issue regular reports

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-t On Jul 15, 2013

(MI) – Some 13.3 million people are registered to vote in Malaysia, which has a 29.3 million population.

Stung by repeated criticisms over tainted electoral rolls, the Election Commission (EC) has formed an internal committee to clean up the voter lists with the first report to be released later this month.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (pic) said the committee began work after the May 5 general elections and would ensure the rolls for the next elections would be reliable and free from controversy.

“It is the EC’s main priority to review the electoral rolls which has been said to be problematic by certain quarters.

“EC officials from all states are working together to clean up the electoral rolls and the committee will issue a report this month and from time to time,” Wan Ahmad told The Malaysian Insider in Kuala Lumpur.

Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 and other civil groups have been asking for the rolls to be cleaned up since Election 2008, after allegations surfaced of phantom voters and foreigners in the lists based on identity cards issued by the National Registration Department.

Some 13.3 million people are registered to vote in Malaysia, which has a 29.3 million population.

Bersih 2.0 co-chairman Datuk S.Ambiga told a forum last Saturday that she did not rule out another rally to protest the electoral rolls if the EC failed to clean it up before conducting a parliamentary seat redelineation exercise this year.