Indelible ink a washout, polls observers tell Bersih tribunal

Two polls observers testifying at the Bersih People's Tribunal on electoral fraud today spoke of the ease in which the indelible ink could be removed from voters' fingers.

Lye Yoong Seng and Joseph Chandran from election monitoring group Pemantau said they were approached by voters at polling stations to complain of the ink.

Lye, who was stationed at a secondary school in Jalan Budiman, Bandar Tun Razak, said two men who recognised him as a Pemantau observer told him that the ink had come off easily.

"One of them told me it came off after he washed his hands while the other said the ink came off when he wiped the sweat off his brow," he added.

At this point, head of the tribunal's legal team Professor Gurdial Singh remarked: "So, his eyebrows became indelibly inked," sparking laughter among those in the room.

Joseph, who was stationed at a school in Desa Aman Puri in Kepong, said at least 30 people had made a similar complaint.

"But we only recorded the statements from seven or eight people and we took photographs and videos," he added.

Both Lye and Joseph also said although the Election Act prohibited campaigning on polling day, they had observed such activities at their polling stations.

"There was a Barisan Nasional booth outside the polling station. A lot of gifts with the party's logo, such as umbrellas, tokens and water, were given out," he said.

Lye said he noticed many cars with BN flags coming to the polling station to drop and fetch voters.

"As far as I know, voter-ferrying is not allowed under the Act," he added.

To a question, Lye replied that EC officials did not attempt to stop the act.

Lye recounted how he followed a car with a BN flag to a low-cost flat in Bandar Tun Razak.

"The car stopped at a BN campaign booth and they were serving food to the voters," he said.

Another panellist Ramlan Surbakti, former deputy chairman of the Indonesian Election Commission, asked Lye if the law in Malaysia prohibited such acts.

Lye said that during his training with Pemantau, he was told there should be no campaigning on polling day.

Gurdial then confirmed that voter-ferrying and serving food – which comes under treating – is also prohibited.

The tribunal is being convened at the Empire Hotel in Subang Jaya, despite the absence of Election Commission officials.