FRAUD IN WANGSA MAJU? Kee Kwong finds 1,100 'spare' ballot papers left in the open

By now, it would be an understatement to say a huge fight is on the cards as Malaysia heads into the final lap of its May 5 general election. With 3 days to go, the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has a clear lead over Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno-BN coalition and this has increased the chances that huge electoral fraud will be perpetrated to maintain the power equation in the country.

Already, the Election Commission - frequently slammed for bias towards the Umno-BN - has been embarrassed by the discovery that the indelible ink it plans to use on Sunday could be easily washed off.

And on Tuesday, the Opposition candidate for the Wangsa Maju parliament seat Tan Kee Kwong was shocked when he went to observe the advance voting for postal and absentee voters in his constituency.

Not only was Kee Kwong barred by an EC official from entering the balloting premises, when he went to the police station where the ballot boxes were to be kept under lock and key until counting is done on Sunday, he was shocked to find an open box containing 1,100 'spare' ballot papers.

"How can this happen and in the police station where the ballot boxes are supposed to be in safe custody? Is someone trying to bomb us on Sunday," Kee Kwong told Malaysia Chronicle, referring to the widespread rumors that quarters linked to the Umno-BN had made preparations to swap genuine ballots with their own pre-ticked voting slips.

Kee Kwong, a senior PKR leader, wants an immediate explanation from the Election Commission. The spare ballot papers were left outside the security area, accessible to anyone who passed by.

"I also want to know why 1,100? Isn't this ridiculously too many to provide as spare? For example, if there are 1,000 voters, maybe one would keep on hand 10% and that would be 100 spares. Is it plausible that all 1,000 would make mistakes and demand a new slip?" said Kee Kwong.

"As far as I am concerned, this is totally suspicious and smells completely under-handed. PR is set to win and win big. Is this the only way Umno-BN can head this off - by conniving with the EC?"

Whole ballot boxes diverted

Kee Kwong's bombshell follows hot on the heels of Anwar's expose. The Opposition Leader had accused the EC of diverting a shipment of ballot boxes due to be sent to the Commission's headquarters in Putrajaya to a run-down and dilapidated warehouse in an industrial park in Kajang.

Anwar had backed up his allegations with photos of the "secret hideout", also showing reporters some of the envelopes found strewn in the premises and a rubbish dump just outside the warehouse. The envelopes are for containing postal balloting slips.

As for the diverted ballot boxes, which were covered with black polyester bags with the EC logo, there are fears that these may be filled with pre-ticked votes favouring Umno-BN and then swapped with other 'genuine' boxes on May 5, especially those from pro-Opposition ares.

Till now, the EC has not offered any explanation except to rebut that it had the right to store ballot boxes wherever it wished. To critics, the EC's response to the multitude of complaints raised so far - including by free and fair polls movement BERSIH - has been arrogant and aloof.

Even the indelible ink is delible?

Although the nation was shocked by the discovery that the indelible ink the EC is due to use for the first time in Malaysia's electoral history on May 5 could be easily washed off, many also said they were not really surprised that such "desperate steps" might be unleashed in the last mile to help the Umno-BN keep its 55-year-old hold on power.

Voter cynicism, already one of the main factors behind the surge in support for the Opposition, rose a further notch when a police report was lodged against PKR vice president, Tian Chua, for raising the issue.

"I am lodging the report so that the police can investigate Tian Chua's motive for making such claims. His actions could disrupt the election process and cause uneasiness among voters," the Star newspaper reported BN candidate for the Sijangkang state assembly seat Zurihan Yusop as saying.

Yet it was those directly involved in the postal voting process who first blew the whistle. An RMAF officer Major Zaidi Ahmad has since lodged a police report that the indelible ink marked on his finger had come off just 2 hours after the EC clerk applied it.

"After I cast my vote at noon, I went home and washed my hands to see if the ink would stay on. But after using the dish-washing liquid and hand sanistiser, the ink was entirely removed," said Zaidi, who voted in advance on Tuesday.

Some 235,826 military personnel and their spouses began casting their votes on April 28, as did the 6,000-odd Malaysian citizens residing overseas. Postal and advanced balloting - especially from the military - have long been a source of easy votes for Najib's Umno-BN, with many servicemen admitting they were usually 'advised' by their superiors to return the incumbent government back to power.

Malaysia Chronicle