EC echoes call to snub S'gor voter verification exercise

Following Selangor Umno deputy chief Noh Omar's call, the Election Commission (EC) has also said the Selangor government has no power to verify the identity of voters under its 'Selangorku Bersih' campaign.

EC deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar called on the public not to cooperate with the campaign as he worried the verification exercise may create uneasiness among voters.

He stressed that the public have the right to decide whether or not they want to show their MyKad to campaign workers.

"However, I advise voters not to easily give their (MyKad) to other people," he said.

The campaign was launched by Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim (right) recently, mobilising civil servants and Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) members to clean up the electoral roll.

They will conduct house-to-house visits to verify the identity of voters registered at the addresses and raise objections should they fail to locate the voters.

This is in response to the discovery of a spike of the number of voters in the state which Pakatan Rakyat said may involve irregularities and fraud including the registration of foreigners as voters, and the transfer of outside voters into the state.

Noh had criticised the campaign, saying it is an abuse of power as the power to verify voters' identity is under the purview of the EC.

His stance was echoed by Wan Ahmad who told Malay daily Utusan Malaysia that JKKK members have no power to force anyone to show their MyKad to verify their identity.

"Only enforcement agencies such as the police have the power to order members of public to show their MyKad," he was quoted as saying.

"Therefore JKKK members who conduct the electoral roll verification exercise in Selangor are reminded not create chaos if members of the public refuse to cooperate."

The EC has launched a month-long campaign, urging voters to check their  status to avoid confusion during the next general election.

Registered voters can call             03-88856565       or all state EC offices, check the EC online database, or send a text-message - "SPR(space)SEMAK(space)identity number" - to 15888.