EC: Indelible ink's colour is top secret, so no public demo

The Election Commission (EC) has refused to demonstrate how long the indelible ink to be used in advance voting can last, as the colour of the ink is a top secret.

“We can’t show it to the public, because the colour of the indelible ink is secret,” said EC chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (left in photo).

“But we have tested the ink many, many times within the EC and the (supplier) company,” he said, turning down a request by electoral reform group Bersih for a public demonstration.

Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga has yesterday urged EC todemonstrate how long the indelible ink used in advanced voting can last, as the group received information that the ink would not last beyond five days.

The EC has set April 30, five days before the general election, for 200,000 police and security forces personnel to vote earlier.
 
He said EC will use two different-coloured inks for advance voting and ordinary voting, which can last at least seven days and three days respectively.

“I can guarantee that the ink can last for at least seven days,” he said, adding that the ink contains pigments, silver nitrate and herbal materials.

The EC has made the ink a top secret, with the inks’ colours and supplier not made known to public, to prevent the inks from being copied, he said, and as such Bersih has no way to get the relevant information.