Biometric voting: ‘No way EC is ready’

How will the Election Commission deal with the dissatisfaction likely to arise from the implementation of the biometric voting system?

PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission (EC) is unlikely to be ready to introduce the biometric voter system if the general election is held in November this year.

This is the view of Port Dickson assemblyman M Ravi.
Speaking to FMT, he said: “I can say the biometric system won’t come into effect if Parliament dissolved in November.

“Yesterday, it was reported that EC deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the EC will explain biometric system to all parties concerned before implementing it. The EC expects to do this by year-end.
“But I believe by the time the EC completes the explanation, the 13th general election will be over.”

He urged the Pakatan Rakyat leadership to “pressure” the EC on this issue.

“Pakatan must not buy the sweet words of EC just like before the 12th general election when the EC told the party it was ready to use indelible ink.

“But eventually the plan was scrapped at the last minute,” said Ravi.

Ravi, who is Telok Kemang division PKR chief, was also doubtful that EC would be able to deal with the numerous questions that would arise if it manages to hold a briefing next month.

Too many questions

“What if there are large numbers of complaints among the parties contesting?” he asked.
“What if there are dubious elements in the system? How long does the EC need to rectify the problems and put the system in place?

“Can the EC guarantee that the system will be in place before Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak dissolves Parliament?”

Ravi added: “I’m sure the EC will say that it doesn’t have the authority to stop Najib from dissolving Parliament.

“The only way to detect the multiple voting is by using indelible ink.

“I hope Pakatan and Bersih 2.0 continue to pressure EC to implement the indelible ink system.
“Even if the biometric system is implemented, I doubt there will be transparency in the system.”

In an interview with FMT on July 27, Ravi dismissed the EC’s proposal to use the biometric voter identification system as a “trick” to buy time to avoid dealing with Bersih 2.0′s eight-point demand.

Ambiga as EC chairman

Ravi also urged Pakatan to consider appointing Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan as the new EC chairman if it wins the 13th general election.

“I think she suits the position and I don’t have to elaborate on her credentials as everybody knows what she did recently in her campaign for clean and fair elections.

“For the deputy chairman’s post, the best person is Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh who is the chairman of the Malaysian For Free and Fair Election (an NGO).

“He has vast experience, locally and overseas, in assessing the way an election is conducted, whether it is free and fair.

“Even now if the EC is really sincere in reforming the election system, I challenge the commission to take Ambiga and Syed Ibrahim on board the EC.

“It will at least proove that the EC is serious in making the election system in Malaysia clean and fair,” Ravi said.