Election Commission chairperson admits failure of indelible ink

The Election Commission admits failure of indelible ink during the 13th general election. Its chairperson, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (pic) expressed his disappointment with reports that the ink could be washed off easily.

"If people ask me now, what is the saddest thing in my life, I would answer: ‘Indelible ink'," said Abdul Aziz during an interview with Malay daily, Sinar Harian.

The ink was part of the electoral reforms made last year to improve transparency within the system. However, the plan backfired when many voters found that the indelible ink can be washed off. According to Abdul Aziz, the commission tested the indelible ink several times prior to the May 5 general election.

“On the much-awaited day, the power of Allah is greater when the ink could disappear after being washed several times. Where is the mistake?” said Abdul Aziz.

The commission has set up a taskforce to investigate factors that could have caused the ink to fade upon washing. The team would be looking into the chemical components that made the ink, storage methods, if the room temperature in the police lock-ups affects the usability of the ink, and so on.

Abdul Aziz also reiterated that the recent elections was fair, citing the opposition’s win in Kelantan, Penang and Selangor as proof that the elections was fraud-free. He again challenged the opposition to provide evidence of electoral fraud first before calling for his resignation.

“If they want us to resign, first they need to file petitions to clearly show that we have cheated and broken the law, only then would we comply,” he added.