As Najib defends election system, PKR detects 1,607 voters aged above 100

PKR leaders have traced 1,607 voters aged more than 100 years old in Perak, a number large enough to tear apart Prime Minister Najib Razak's claims that the electoral rolls in the country were "clean".

"This upsets the apple cart for Najib. While he is trying to play hero in UK, here in Perak, there are people who have died years or even decades ago that are still 'eligible' to vote according to the Election Commssion," PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

"We are not talking about one or two that slipped past but 1,607. What kind of a goal is the EC keeping that such an elephant can get through?"

Impossible life spans

Indeed, the lastest discovery will put Perak on the top of the list of states having people with impossible life spans. However, given that the practise of using 'phantom' voters or people paid to fill in for dead citizens is so rampant, it may just be time before Perak is displaced.

At a press conference held a day ago with Simpang Pulai assemblyman Chan Ming Kai, the PKR leaders detailed their 'evidence'.

Based on data taken from the electoral roll released by the EC itself, the oldest voter in Perak is 132 years old and there are 160 voters older than 110. There were also 1,447 voters aged between 100 and 109 years old.

Apart from Perak, Ming Kai also detected voters in Kuala Selangor, Kapar and Sibu who are aged 128, 123 and 131 years old.

The PKR leaders also called on the EC to check on the addresses of all the centenarians.

Key reforms needed

At the July 9 Bersih rally for free and fair elections, police had launced an unprecedented crack down on civilian marchers. The rally was a peaceful assembly and only turned chaotic when the police charged at the crowd with batons, rattans and rubber hoses.

On the orders of Prime Minister Najib Razak, police fired tear gas and chemicalized water at the marchers. Najib has insisted that the police action was "mild". He has also insisted that the election system was fair and the ruckus stirred up by his arch enemy, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The Bersih, an umbrella of 62 top NGOs, had wanted to hand over a memorandum to the King, demanding the ruling BN government implements 8 key electoral reforms before the next General Election.

The 8 refors are: 1. Clean the electoral roll 2. Reform postal ballot 3. Use of indelible ink 4. Minimum 21 days campaign period 5. Free and fair access to media 6. Strengthen public institutions 7. Stop corruption 8. Stop dirty politics.

- Malaysia Chronicle