Chemist: Indelible ink is a joke

A chemist told the Bersih Tribunal that 1% of silver nitrate used in the indelible ink can be easily washed off.

SUBANG JAYA: The percentage of silver nitrate used in the indelible ink during the recent general election is a joke, an experienced chemist told the Bersih’s People’s Tribunal this morning.

Ng Eng Ju, a chemist in printing inks, paints and emulsion polymers, said the usual precentage of silver nitrate used to make the ink last longer on the fingernail was 10% to 18% but the 1% used by the Election Commission was unacceptable.

Ng said if the ink had 1% silver nitrate it could be easily removed.

“The higher the concentration of silver nitrate, the more visible and indelible it becomes. It does not make any sense to use only 1% of silver nitrate, especially during elections,” he said.

EC deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar had said the ink could last up to seven days and was also hazardous to health if more than 1% was used.

Ng, a Monash University graduate, said the Material Safety Data sheet of silver nitrate showed no evidence of health hazard.

“There is no possibility of the ink to cause carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects as well as developmental toxicity.

“So when the EC claimed if more than 1% of silver nitrate used is dangerous that is a lie,” he added.

Ng said it took about 30 seconds for the ink to dry and not two seconds as claimed by the EC.

Meanwhile, tribunal member Professor Ramlan Surbakti questioned the readiness of the EC to share the exact information of the indelible ink to the public.

The former deputy chairman of the Indonesian Electoral Commission said the EC should have cooperated with experts regarding the used of the ink.

“This is the first time Malaysia is using the ink but from my experience we worked together with other organisations to make sure that the ink is indelible

“We made the information on the ink public. For example, where the ink comes from,” he said.