EC's excuse over indelible ink 'unconvincing'

The Election Commission's (EC) reasons in making a sudden U-turn over the use of indelible ink during the March 2008 general election were “not convincing”, said US diplomatic cables leaked two days ago. 

EC had proposed using indelible ink in the last general election but at the eleventh hour, three days before March 8, 2008, the use was abandoned, announced former EC chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. 

US diplomats in the leaked cable, however, opined that Abdul Rashid's “abrupt about-face on March 4" clearly suggested pressures from the BN-ruled government.

“In a hastily announced press conference and flanked by both the (former) inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan, and the attorney-general (AG) Abdul Gani Patail, (Abdul) Rashid stuttered through a prepared statement officially terminating the fraud prevention method that the EC had embraced only nine months ago,” the cable said. 

The policy reversal, which later came under severe scrutiny, was due to the fact that four police reports had been made over an alleged plan to sabotage the election process by smuggling in unidentified quantities of indelible ink into the country, reasoned Abdul Rashid. 

“The EC's grounds for reversing itself on the use of indelible ink do not appear very convincing. Regardless, the EC has damaged its credibility on the eve of the election and invited greater suspicion of Malaysia's electoral process,” it said. 

The revocation was condemned by opposition parties as well as election watchdog groups who claimed that there were “phantom voters” in the electoral role, which could hamper efforts for a clean and fair voting process. 

“Although both Umno and PAS leaders have been guilty in the past of recruiting phantom voters, PAS leaders accuse the EC of allowing Umno to pad the electoral roll with its supporters to help Umno win Kelantan and maintain its hold in Terengganu,” it added. 

Observer teams sent to six key states

According to the diplomat, the embassy had dispatched election observer teams to six 
key states during the March 2008 polls, which resulted in BN losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time after 1969 and administration of five states to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat. 

Prior to the 2008 general election, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) had held a mammoth rally in the KL city centre demanding that eight of its suggestion to improve the balloting process be implemented - including the use of the indelible ink. 

“Proponents of electoral reform had lobbied for the introduction of indelible ink and hailed the EC's original decision to institute this measure, which would have represented the most significant improvement in the integrity of the elections since the last polls in 2004,” noted the cable. 

Having failed to push their demands through the first time, Bersih again on July 9 this year held another massive rally with ten or thousands of supporters insisting for the EC to implement their demands. 

After much hesitation, the government had proposed the setting up of a parliamentary select committee to look into the demands, stopping short, however, of pledging that the reforms will be brought about before the next general election speculated to be held by the end of the year.