Opposition MPs press Nazri over indelible ink
The Star (23/5/08): Opposition MPs, unhappy with the decision to scrap the use of indelible ink three days before the general election, put pressure on Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.
Nazri said the advice from the Attorney-General that the use of the ink may contravene Article 119 of the Federal Constitution had been discussed at two Cabinet meetings before Parliament was dissolved.
“That Article guarantees one the right to vote. Hypothetically, there could be some voters who had obtained their ballot paper but then refused to have their nail marked with the ink.
“But we cannot stop them because they have the right to vote. When we brought this matter up to the Election Commission, it said it would prepare Borang 10A at all the voting stations.
“This form would attest to the fact that these voters, who had already cast their ballots, did not want their nail marked with the ink. But this would have gone against the original intent of introducing the ink,” he said.
To accusations from Tian Chua (PKR – Batu) and Fong Po Kuan (DAP – Batu Gajah) that this “version” differed from a previous explanation given by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar concerning reports of smuggling in of the ink, Nazri said the latter was naturally concerned over such rumours.
“But the Cabinet’s concern then was that if this involved a lot of voters, this could lead to a disturbance and become a basis for a court case,” he said.
Nazri said EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul had made the decision about the ink right after meeting PAS and DAP without referring the matter to the A-G’s office.
“If the Cabinet had directed EC to scrap the use of the ink, we would have had a lot of time to explain the reason for it. Instead, it was scrapped three days before polling day and as a result, we lost a lot of votes.
“The Cabinet rejected the use of the ink because we didn’t agree to it, but it was up to the EC to accept this decision or go ahead with its plan,” he pointed out.
Nazri also told Fong that he would need to refer to the EC about what happened to the RM2.4mil worth of ink bought from India.
Nazri said the advice from the Attorney-General that the use of the ink may contravene Article 119 of the Federal Constitution had been discussed at two Cabinet meetings before Parliament was dissolved.
“That Article guarantees one the right to vote. Hypothetically, there could be some voters who had obtained their ballot paper but then refused to have their nail marked with the ink.
“But we cannot stop them because they have the right to vote. When we brought this matter up to the Election Commission, it said it would prepare Borang 10A at all the voting stations.
“This form would attest to the fact that these voters, who had already cast their ballots, did not want their nail marked with the ink. But this would have gone against the original intent of introducing the ink,” he said.
To accusations from Tian Chua (PKR – Batu) and Fong Po Kuan (DAP – Batu Gajah) that this “version” differed from a previous explanation given by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar concerning reports of smuggling in of the ink, Nazri said the latter was naturally concerned over such rumours.
“But the Cabinet’s concern then was that if this involved a lot of voters, this could lead to a disturbance and become a basis for a court case,” he said.
Nazri said EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul had made the decision about the ink right after meeting PAS and DAP without referring the matter to the A-G’s office.
“If the Cabinet had directed EC to scrap the use of the ink, we would have had a lot of time to explain the reason for it. Instead, it was scrapped three days before polling day and as a result, we lost a lot of votes.
“The Cabinet rejected the use of the ink because we didn’t agree to it, but it was up to the EC to accept this decision or go ahead with its plan,” he pointed out.
Nazri also told Fong that he would need to refer to the EC about what happened to the RM2.4mil worth of ink bought from India.
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