Once the door was locked, the Umno YB paid RM100 each for our unmarked ballot slips

A police report has been lodged by an Election Commission officer against an Umno state assemblyman for alleged electoral fraud during the May 5 general election whereby the latter was accused of buying unmarked ballot papers for RM100 each.

The EC officer, a volunteer, said in her police report that 24 EC officers including herself had been called by Nawi Mohamad, the Umno contestant for the Hulu Besut seat in Terengganu, into a room at the Mesyuarat DUN in Kg Chegar, Batang Pasir Akar on April 29.

The door to the room was then locked, the EC officer said in the report, distributed to reporters by PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli on Tuesday.

"We have marked out the name of the complainant because this is a very serious allegation," Rafizi told the press conference. He declined to name the 49-year-old female complainant.

"This is akin to buying votes and highlights the flaws in the advance and postal voting system," warned Sim Tze Tzin, the MP for Bayan Baru who was also at the press conference.

Behind locked doors, money was paid?

In the report, the EC officer said that once the door was locked, Nawi had allegedly asked the group to hand over their unmarked ballot slips. These were collected by one Hjh Azizah bt Ibrahim.

"It occurred to me when I was asked to surrender my ballot slip, why was YB Nawi doing this. We were paid RM100 each. And then we went out of the room," said the EC officer, even stating the serial numbers of her two RM50 notes BY8393918 and AT4241510.

She then said that after returning home, she felt worried Nawi might have broken the Elections Act. "I felt scared but we were forced to do so," she said.

Then the next day on April 30, she and 3 of her colleagues decided to return to the DUN office at around 10.30am to take back their ballot papers. They met with one Hj Adnan bin Said and the ballot slips were duly returned to them.

It was then she found that her ballot paper had been crossed. "I was shocked and straightaway went to the District Office Besut to cast the ballot slip into the ballot box," she said.

They didn't even bother to place indelible ink on our fingers

While in the District Office, she claimed she saw the ballot slips of the 20 others brought in and placed in an iron cabinet at the 3rd Floor of the District Office Besut.

"The 4 of us cast our ballots without even having the indelible ink placed on our fingers as per the Election Commission's requirement," she said.

"I am not satisfied because my vote was crossed without my consent and it was not voluntary. This action was done forcibly."

According to Rafizi, the police report was further proof of a widespread 'cheating trend' during the country's controversial 13th general election. His PKR party and Pakatan Rakyat coalition have refused to concede defeat and plan to file election petitions by the end of this week.

"This is further proof of the loopholes in postal and advance voting system that were deliberately left open so as to enable BN candidates to hijack and buy the ballot slips. Even the indelible ink was not used," alleges Rafizi.

The Hulu Besut state seat was won by Nawi Mohamad by a majority of 2,453 votes. He polled 6,740 votes against Mohd Zain Hassan from PAS, who garnered 4,287 votes. Turnout was 85% in the Malay heartland seat where Malays formed 98% of the 13,165-strong electorate.

Malaysia Chronicle