Election Watch worries over voting stations 3 days before polling

By Ong

MAFREL

2006-05-18 | Press release (18-05-06) - MAFREL Sibu section is worried that the newly announced voting stations around Sibu will cause confusion to voters considering that they are announced only 3 days ahead of polling day.

See Hua Daily reported yesterday that there will be increases in polling stations in Sibu's constituencies eg 6 new polling stations will be added to Palawan. `We are disappointed with the answer from the SPR (Election Commission)'s Secretary Datuk Kamaruzaman that voters should check their voting stations through SMS and internet to avoid confusion --because access to SMS and internet is very limited to the majority voters in Sarawak --especially for senior citizens and residents who are out of town !' MAFREL Sibu Coordinator Ong Boon Keong said after meeting Dato Kamaruzaman at Kingwood Hotel yesterday(Wed), at 8.00pm, when the latter visited Sibu yesterday.

`Datuk Kamaruzaman was surprised when told of the addition of new voting areas and claimed that he was unaware of the new voting stations- because according to the law new voting stations can only be added after they are being gazzetted.' Ong gave him copies of the news cutting from See Hua Daily and a translation of the news.

`MAFREL also took the opportunity to seek clarification on a number of unanswered questions about the electoral roll --but unfortunately the official answer given was rather unconvincing and weak. SPR blamed the relatives of dead voters for not having reported to the Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (National Registry of Birth and Deaths) --but when shown copy of 3 death certificates of voters found in the voters' roll Datuk Kamaruzaman could only ask MAFREL and voters to forward the documents to SPR --as though the on-line communication beween SPR and JPN started since 2002 JPN cannot be trusted to pass on the vital information to SPR.'

`Further MAFREL was disappointed that when SPR called upon the public who have complaints to bring them to the local SPR offices, the Sibu SPR officer --Mr Wong Fu Toh, who is also the Sibu Municipal Council Secretary said that he cannot find time to meet MAFREL to sort out the problems. (Reply attached).'

`What is even more confounding is that the SPR headquarter in Kuching --through its head Datuk Noordin, suggested that most likely they will only meet the voters with complaints after elections! MAFREL find this suggestion to be highly disturbing and incompetent as the retention of dead voters on the rolls expose glaring weaknesses of the supposedly flawless rolls for all to see and compromise the credibility of the officially gazetted voters roll. Beside they also cause considerable emotional irritations to the voters' family concerned. MAFREL suggest that any electoral complaints must be addressed before the polling day on the 20th May.'

`MAFREL also asked about the new 12-digit IC number found given to long dead voters whose name still linger in the electoral roll eg the would be 108-year old Sadiah Binti Taha. Datul Kamaruddin can only blame the JPN -- seemingly unwilling to address the concern that the new IC number signify gross irregularity in the voters' most essential identification relied upon by the SPR.'

`When asked about SPR's misleading method of not giving the voters' street address (currently only voting areas are given --which may not coincide with street names) SPR could only blame it on the past practice of registering voters according to any address given. Only after July 16th 2002 that the law had been changed to register voters according to their IC address. However for the thousands of voters at Rajang Park whose address are untraceable according to the Sibu Municipal Council Valuation Chief the problem arise from the SPR's inexplicable method of leaving out the street name in the voters' roll, rather than due to the voters not registering with addresses not found in their IC.'

When the SPR's explanation failed to convince Datuk Kamaruzaman threatened to cut off the conversation. MAFREL found the conduct to be unbecoming of the Secretary of SPR as a modern, competent and professional election administrator. `Instead of recognizing the glaring weaknesses of the electoral rolls and making the necessary corrections to safeguard the integrity of the election administration under its charge the current SPR is acting in the most non-user friendly fashion! If they refuse to change their non-transparent and inefficient method of operation they should be held responsible in a major way for the lapses in credibility and integrity of Malaysia's elections and the wider democratic institution they serve! With the polling day being so closed now MAFREL call upon the SPR leadership to seriously reconsider their wanting operation methodologies and make serious effort to make last minute corrections to avoid any unnecessary confusions.'

Enq. MAFREL Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections

Tel - 013-5900339 (Ong)

Fax - 084-323043