TELUK INTAN Offering a response that is bound to infuriate its detractors, the Election Commission (EC) has interpreted Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s warning to volunteer corp Rela members as mere advice.
"As a minister, he is just giving advice to those in Teluk Intan (who are) eligible voters to fulfil their responsibility and not all Rela members are qualified to vote," said commission chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.
Stopping short of calling it an empty threat, he said Zahid could not have known who did or did not vote in the last general election.
He added this is unless the minister cross-checked the Rela members' IC numbers against the electoral roll, and then checked whose fingers were not smeared with indelible ink.
"He doesn't know (who voted or not). Furthermore, Teluk Intan's voters have not cast their votes yet.
"And for sure, he won't know who the voters voted for, only the voter himself or herself would know.
"Saying the minister knows who voted for who is not true," he told reporters at the SMK Datuk Hj Mohd Nor Ahmad polling centre in Penang, where polling is underway for the Bukit Gelugoparliamentary seat.
Abdul Aziz was responding to Zahid's claim yesterday that more than 2,000 out of 8,000 Rela members in Teluk Intan who are eligible to vote did not cast their ballots in the general election last year.
On Zahid's promise of new uniforms if BN wins the Teluk Intan by-election, Abdul Aziz said the statement does not constitute an offence because Rela is already in the process of changing its uniform.
"(He) is not saying that you will only get the uniforms once you vote, it is not like that. It wasn't an offence," he added.
The EC has often been criticised by the opposition and electoral watchdogs as being partial towards the ruling a coalition, a charge which the commission has consistently denied.
"As a minister, he is just giving advice to those in Teluk Intan (who are) eligible voters to fulfil their responsibility and not all Rela members are qualified to vote," said commission chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.
Stopping short of calling it an empty threat, he said Zahid could not have known who did or did not vote in the last general election.
He added this is unless the minister cross-checked the Rela members' IC numbers against the electoral roll, and then checked whose fingers were not smeared with indelible ink.
"He doesn't know (who voted or not). Furthermore, Teluk Intan's voters have not cast their votes yet."And for sure, he won't know who the voters voted for, only the voter himself or herself would know.
"Saying the minister knows who voted for who is not true," he told reporters at the SMK Datuk Hj Mohd Nor Ahmad polling centre in Penang, where polling is underway for the Bukit Gelugoparliamentary seat.
Abdul Aziz was responding to Zahid's claim yesterday that more than 2,000 out of 8,000 Rela members in Teluk Intan who are eligible to vote did not cast their ballots in the general election last year.
On Zahid's promise of new uniforms if BN wins the Teluk Intan by-election, Abdul Aziz said the statement does not constitute an offence because Rela is already in the process of changing its uniform."(He) is not saying that you will only get the uniforms once you vote, it is not like that. It wasn't an offence," he added.
The EC has often been criticised by the opposition and electoral watchdogs as being partial towards the ruling a coalition, a charge which the commission has consistently denied.
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