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"It shows that the Election Commission is working hand in hand with the Barisan Nasional to cheat in the elections," said Lim. |
KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Election Commission (SEC) scrapped on Tuesday, March 4, a plan to use indelible ink in the weekend's snap general election, amid an opposition outcry of foul play.
"Following legal advice and looking at the issue of public order and security, the commission decided not to proceed with its proposal to introduce the use of indelible ink," the SEC said in a statement cited by Reuters.
The use of indelible ink in the March 8 polls was one of the main demands of opposition parties and democracy advocates.
But SEC Chairman Abdul Rashid Rahman said they learnt that some "irresponsible people" had fraudulently imported the ink to deceive unsuspecting voters.
"These voters may be regarded as having voted when they come to cast their votes on the polling day," he argued.
"This may cause chaos at polling stations which, if widespread, may be difficult to control."
The snap elections will see three opposition parties running against the ruling Barisan Nasional, which has governed Malaysia in various forms since its 1957 independence.
Opposition parties have agreed to field one candidate against the ruling coalition in each of the 222 constituencies, avoiding damaging three-cornered contests.
Candidates will also be vying for a total 505 seats in twelve state assemblies.
Complicity
The opposition dismissed the SEC decision as an clear evidence of its complicity with the ruling coalition to undermine their chances in the polls.
"I express shock at this development," said Lim Guan Eng, the Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party.
"It shows that the Election Commission is working hand in hand with the Barisan Nasional to cheat in the elections."
Though the ruling coalition is expected to win, analysts believe a repeat of 2004 election, when the coalition won more than 90 per cent of parliamentary seats, is unlikely.
Issues like rising prices, weak economy growth and racial tensions are expected to cut into the coalition's majority.
Last November, the opposition and ethnic Indians staged the biggest anti-government protests.
Electoral-reform lobby group Bersih, which includes several opposition parties, was equally critical of the Election Commission decision.
"This is a direct provocation," said coordinator Dzulkifli Ahmad.
Bersih staged a protest of around 10,000 people in early November to press for free and fair elections, including the cleaning up of the electoral rolls and the use of the ink.
"They want us to go to the streets, so they can vindicate their claim that we are supposedly violent."
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