Is EC playing a trick?

Talk about the biometric system could be the commission’s way of buying time, says PKR man.

PETALING JAYA: The proposal to use the biometric voter identification system could be a trick for the Election Commission (EC) to buy time and to avoid dealing with Bersih’s eight demands, according to Port Dickson state assemblyman M Ravi.

“I don’t think they’ll implement the system,” he said, referring to a statement by EC Deputy Chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar that the commission was still conducting studies on the system.

“One of the Malay papers today quoted Wan Ahmad saying that the EC was still doing studies on the application, effectiveness, technical aspects and cost of the biometric system.”

Ravi, who heads PKR’s Telok Kemang division, said there was a possibility that the next election would be held before the completion of those studies.

“What if the Prime Minister decides to dissolve Parliament this November? I’m sure EC will say the system cannot be implemented because it has not completed the studies. It will say it’s not its fault that Parliament has been dissolved so soon.”

Meanwhile, an election watchdog has called on the EC to conduct a dialogue to explain the biometric system to “all parties concerned”.

The chairman of Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, said the commission needed to address “all the doubts” raised by stakeholders.

He said he could foresee problems arising from the imperfections of the MyKad.

“We have heard complaints that the card cannot be read in certain government agencies,” he said.

“What if the EC’s biometric system fails to read a voter’s MyKad?”

He said it was unlikely that the biometric system was foolproof against impersonation and phantom voting.

“The parties from Pakatan Rakyat previously exposed how there could be two MyKads showing the same name and address, and bearing similar numbers with only the last four digits different.

“They have also exposed how army personnel could carry a MyKad as well as an Army Identity Card.”

He said the EC must explain what mechanisms it would apply to detect phantom voters.

“EC needs to explain all these before implementing the system.”