MALACCA POLLS | Earlier today, PKR alleged that an Election Commission (EC) officer chased out their polling agent at a polling centre in Ayer Molek for exceeding the maximum time allowed on duty.
Mohd Bazain Yusof, who represents Harapan’s Ayer Molek candidate Mohd Rafee Ibrahim, immediately went to the police station in the Kandang district to file a report on the matter.
According to Section 14(1A) of the Election Offences Act 1954, each counting agent on behalf of a candidate is required to remain on duty at the centre for at least two hours.
PKR cried foul and possible tampering of votes, as there was no Harapan agent present in the polling stream for at least half an hour after the incident.
“It was so strange that our agent was the only one asked to leave, but not those from the other parties,” said a confused Rafee at a press conference in Ayer Molek today.
They assured, however, that at the time of the press conference, the matter had been resolved.
They claim that the EC admitted fault on the issue and has rectified the matter.
“The matter has been resolved, and we no longer have an issue with the (EC) officer involved. The issue is settled,” Rafee said.
However, PKR’s legal adviser G Manivanan said they would not retract their police statement, as the legal process was still ongoing.
“There is a commitment to work together. We don’t want to make any decisions at the moment, but if the cooperation is genuine, we accept it with an open heart,” he said.
Fear of unverified election results not holding up in court
Meanwhile, Manivanan raised a separate issue on the EC’s Form 14. The form is an official summary of election results from a polling station.
He claimed that an official EC notice at each voting centre stated that Form 14 can be signed off by counting agents and does not need to be signed off by a presiding officer.
The notice, sighted by Malaysiakini, highlighted in bold that a presiding officer does not need to sign off on the form.
PKR fears that if Form 14 is not signed by a presiding officer, it will be unverified in court and legal matters.
“If a presiding officer does not sign off, and the EC does not stamp on it, there will be an issue after this (election).
“For example, in court matters, how will Form 14 be verified?” asked Manivanan.
He added that he would be contacting the Malacca EC chairperson to demand an explanation on the matter.
Previously, the EC noted the refusal by its presiding officers in charge of polling stations to sign Form 14 should not have occurred.
Concerns were raised over the delay in signing Form 14s on the night of May 9, 2018, the voting day for the 14th general election. - Mkini
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