The Malaysian Bar - EC awaits nod on indelible ink

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EC awaits nod on indelible ink

Thursday, 17 November 2011 08:53am

©The Star (Used by permission)
by LEE YEN MUN and REGINA LEE

PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission will amend its regulations to allow the use of indelible ink in the general election when it receives the Dewan Rakyat's nod of approval, said its deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

Wan Ahmad said the onus was now on the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to submit its recommendations to the Government, who would then advise the commission on its decision.

“We will wait for the next course of action from the PSC. As for the commission, we have no problem with amending our regulations as long as the Parliament agrees to it,” Wan Ahmad said yesterday.

He was responding to PSC chairman Datuk Maximus Ongkili's statement yesterday that there was no need to amend the Federal Constitution to allow the use of indelible ink during an election.

Ongkili said Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail had clarified that the EC only had to revise its regulations for the use of the ink.

The EC had previously said the Federal Constitution would need to be amended for the indelible ink since no rightful voter could be stopped from voting.

Bersih 2.0 chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said the amendment could be implemented immediately.

“I am pleased that there is now clarity on this issue,” she said.

One of Bersih 2.0's eight demands had been to implement the use of indelible ink, claiming that it would prevent voter fraud.

Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said it looked forward to such an amendment.

“We hope the EC will reconsider its position and has an open mind on Bersih 2.0's proposals for electoral reforms which the Bar supports,” he said.

The indelible ink was almost used in the 2008 general election before it was scrapped.

However, Abdul Gani said a constitutional amendment would be needed to implement automatic voter registration.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said this would mean that a bi-partisan effort to amend the constitution was needed since no party had a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Saifuddin, who proposed for automatic voter registration, said having such a move was to encourage as many as possible to vote.

“Whatever that is hindering this should be reduced, like the condition to register as a voter. This does not deny people's right not to vote, which they can exercise by just not coming out to vote,” he said.

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