Shahidan: EC did not ask for extra grants

He says EC is asking for a RM360 million grant again from the Parliament because an allocation of the same amount last year in the form of warrant has lapsed.

KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim today dismissed the notions that the Election Commission has asked for extra allocations, adding that its repeat application for grants with the Parliament this year was merely a technical issue.

He said Parliament has granted EC with RM360 million of warrants last year – which the general election was anticipated to but not held in that year – has expired.

Hence, he said, the commission asked for the allocation of the same amount this year.

This was the Arau parliamentarian’s response to the PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli’s question on EC’s expenditure.

Shahidan said the original budget granted to EC in 2012 was RM45 million, which covered their operation costs.

He said an additional RM60 million was allocated to them through the government’s contingency funds in the same year in anticipation of the general election.

“So that’s no issue of repeat allocation at all. Last year’s allocation has lapsed and they are asking for a new one,” he said.

Meanwhile, when asked to confirm the identity of the indelible ink supplier, Shahidan initially denied that it was Integrated Challenge Sdn Bhd as alleged by Rafizi, but later said he would withhold his comment until he has checked Rafizi’s statement.

He was also non-committal when asked whether it was EC or the ink supplier that fixed the ink’s specification. He only replied that EC has the power to decide on the matter.

“I believe there were some discussions between (EC and the supplier). But EC can only set things up after receiving the guidelines from the health ministry and Islamic Department (Jakim),” he said.