EC To Use Indelible Ink In 13th General Election

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- The Election Commission (EC) will use the silver nitrate indelible ink in the coming 13th general election, its chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said. The ink will be different from the one proposed for use in the 12th general election in 2008 but was cancelled just days before the polling day following concerns raised by various quarters. Samples of the ink were sent to the Chemistry Department on Dec 9 for verification as well as to the National Fatwa Council to ensure it is suitable for Muslims and to the Health Ministry to ensure it is not harmful to health, he said. "This is from a different source than the one that was supposed to be used in 2008; and because of this, it will have to go through the same verification process all over again. This is not the same ink. "The ink contains silver nitrate which will be absorbed in the nail and skin. The higher the silver nitrate percentage the longer it remains on the finger," he told a news conference here. He said the use of the indelible ink was one of the proposals of the parliamentary select committee on electoral reform. Abdul Aziz, however, declined to reveal the country from which the ink would be imported or the quantity to be bought. All voters would be required to be marked with the indelible ink, he said, adding that those who refuse to be marked would be denied the ballot paper. "I do not want to reveal the country from which we are getting the ink due to concerns over security and such. It can be obtained from several countries. Many countries produce indelible ink. The ink has been used in elections in the country concerned and others as well," he said. Abdul Aziz said that indelible ink with seven per cent silver nitrate would be used for the early polling by armed forces personnel, spouses of armed forces personnel, police (excluding spouses) and spouses of General Operations Force members, while the ink with four per cent silver nitrate would be used for voters on the normal polling days. He said that to ensure clean and fair elections, the EC had introduced early polling to be conducted three or four days before the actual polling day. "I am not saying that postal voting will be abolished. The early polling will be for the category of voters who are eligible as they can work on the actual polling day," he said. He said these category of voters who cannot attend the early polling because of work can still take part in the postal voting but with the prior approval of the returning officer. He also said that the EC was looking into certain procedures to ensure that media personnel are also not exempted from voting. Abdul Aziz also said that in the effort to improve the election process in the country, the EC would no longer allow candidates to withdraw or raise objections after nomination. "Unless, of course, the returning officer finds that the candidate is disqualified under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution," he said. This provides the EC with ample time to print the ballot papers and distribute them to the respective constituencies, he said. He also said that the EC would display the electoral rolls for 14 days instead of the current seven days. Abdul Aziz said the EC allowed physically challenged voters to be accompanied by trusted persons other than family members and close relatives, but the individuals must be Malaysian citizens aged above 21. "All these have been agreed to by the (parliamentary select) committee and relevant amendments will have to be made to the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981. "Besides, the EC is also looking into having additional authority and not having to be overly dependent on others," he said. -- BERNAMA Malaysia