Biometric system scrapped, indelible ink stays
(TMI) – “We hope there won’t be any more issues cropping up about the indelible ink, there won’t be people trying their hardest to wash away the ink like in GE13.”
The Election Commission (EC) will not go ahead with its proposal to use the biometric system instead of the indelible ink as long as the relevant laws were not amended.
Its chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (pic), noted that while there were some flaws with the indelible ink during the 13th general election, the EC managed to overcome the problem during the Kuala Besut by-election recently.
“The public has to know that the indelible ink and the biometric system are two different things… it is not that easy to switch,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
“We will continue using the indelible ink as the laws have not been amended.”
He pointed out that the indelible ink will still be relevant in the next GE following its success in the by-election.
“What is certain is that we were successful in Kuala Besut. We did not face any problems there so now we are confident that it will be good.
“We hope there won’t be any more issues cropping up about the indelible ink, there won’t be people trying their hardest to wash away the ink like in GE13.”
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim had announced at the Dewan Rakyat on July 17 that the government was ready to consider replacing the indelible ink with the biometric system.
He chided the opposition for first insisting on the usage of the indelible ink and then criticising it later.
“The one who suggested the ink was Gombak Member of Parliament (Mohamed Azmin Ali) in the The Special Select Committee on Electoral Reform. They are the ones who suggested the usage of the ink while the EC had suggested the biometric system ,” he had said.
