The Election Commission has informed the parliamentary select committee that it would be ready to use the indelible ink in February.
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) will make the necessary amendments to the election regulations to enable the usage of indelible ink beginning February next year.
This was announced by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms after holding a three-hour meeting with the EC.
The February deadline means the ink would be used in the next general election which is expected to be held within the next six months.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament after the meeting, PSC chairman Maximus Ongkili said EC was now in the midst of drafting the necessary amendments.
“The Chemistry Department is also studying the type of indelible ink that will be used and the final ink colour will not be announced until election is closer,” added the science, technology and innovation minister.
Ongkili said that EC was of the opinion that the ink would not be objectionable to Muslims.
“However we are still waiting for a final say from the National Fatwa Council as the previous fatwa was on a slightly different type of ink. The current one is an improved version,” he said.
After the meeting, the EC also demonstrated to the PSC members and the media how the indelible ink would be used on voters.
Members of the PSC, including Ongkili, PAS’ Hatta Ramli, DAP’s Anthony Loke, MIC’s P Kamalanathan and Umno’s Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, had their index finger painted to test out the ink.
The new voting process would have one extra election worker to apply the ink on the voter’s finger. The set up of the voting area had also been modified to allow officials to better see the voter’s face, and an improved process of sealing the boxes.
“Now the officials can face the voter and see the face clearer, before this there have been complaints that only the voter’s side or back can be seen. This will make the process more transparent. We have confirmed this as the final process, and will only make some improvements if there is a need,” said Ongkili.
Implementation of recommendations
He said that the sixth PSC meeting also discussed the steps EC was taking to implement the 10 recommendations that the PSC had made in its interim report.
“EC is looking into the details that this committee has recommended to Parliament. So far, out of the recommendations, seven items are being given positive responses by EC,” he added.
Ongkili said PSC would be discussing how these new changes could be implemented by the next general election, though he admitted that nobody knew when it would be held.
He said that on advance voting by the military and police that would replace postal voting, EC expected that its rules would be amended and gazetted by March 1.
“On overseas voting, EC said that they are looking at it, they need to look at the numbers and the process in how it could be implemented, especially conditions that need to be set,” he added.
Ongkili said the process of cleaning up the electoral roll was ongoing and today, EC handed over copies of 4,251 suspicious voters to the PSC and this list would also be available to all political parties and the public, to verify if they are valid voters.
On the recommendation to extend the display of the additional voters list from seven to 14 days, and to remove the RM10 charge for objections raised and to abolish the maximum number of objections which could be raised, he said these amendments to the EC rules would be done by Feb 1 as well.
Two more public hearings
Ongkili said PSC would function for three more months, until early April. There would also be two more public hearings, one in Kelantan (Jan 7-8), Johor Bahru (Jan 12-13) before PSC would fully focus on monitoring the implementation of the recommendations decided upon and also those recommendations not decided upon.
On Dec 19, the EC had announced three new developments in the election procedure. The first was a recommendation to use indelible ink in the next general election, which fulfiled one of Bersih’s demands.
The second was allowing the police and military to cast their votes at the ballot box two days in advance instead of through postal votes. And the third, abolishing the objection period for candidates.
The PSC’s interim report, which was officially tabled on Dec 1, touched on many contested issues such as the implementation of indelible ink, expansion of oversea absentee voters policy to all Malaysians living abroad and even the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into alleged illegal immigrants offered citizenship and subsequently turned into voters.
It was reported that subsequent to the interim report, the PSC would be tabling another 10 other new recommendations in Parliament.
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) will make the necessary amendments to the election regulations to enable the usage of indelible ink beginning February next year.This was announced by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms after holding a three-hour meeting with the EC.
The February deadline means the ink would be used in the next general election which is expected to be held within the next six months.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament after the meeting, PSC chairman Maximus Ongkili said EC was now in the midst of drafting the necessary amendments.
“The Chemistry Department is also studying the type of indelible ink that will be used and the final ink colour will not be announced until election is closer,” added the science, technology and innovation minister.
Ongkili said that EC was of the opinion that the ink would not be objectionable to Muslims.
“However we are still waiting for a final say from the National Fatwa Council as the previous fatwa was on a slightly different type of ink. The current one is an improved version,” he said.
After the meeting, the EC also demonstrated to the PSC members and the media how the indelible ink would be used on voters.
Members of the PSC, including Ongkili, PAS’ Hatta Ramli, DAP’s Anthony Loke, MIC’s P Kamalanathan and Umno’s Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, had their index finger painted to test out the ink.
The new voting process would have one extra election worker to apply the ink on the voter’s finger. The set up of the voting area had also been modified to allow officials to better see the voter’s face, and an improved process of sealing the boxes.
“Now the officials can face the voter and see the face clearer, before this there have been complaints that only the voter’s side or back can be seen. This will make the process more transparent. We have confirmed this as the final process, and will only make some improvements if there is a need,” said Ongkili.
Implementation of recommendations
He said that the sixth PSC meeting also discussed the steps EC was taking to implement the 10 recommendations that the PSC had made in its interim report.
“EC is looking into the details that this committee has recommended to Parliament. So far, out of the recommendations, seven items are being given positive responses by EC,” he added.
Ongkili said PSC would be discussing how these new changes could be implemented by the next general election, though he admitted that nobody knew when it would be held.
He said that on advance voting by the military and police that would replace postal voting, EC expected that its rules would be amended and gazetted by March 1.
“On overseas voting, EC said that they are looking at it, they need to look at the numbers and the process in how it could be implemented, especially conditions that need to be set,” he added.
Ongkili said the process of cleaning up the electoral roll was ongoing and today, EC handed over copies of 4,251 suspicious voters to the PSC and this list would also be available to all political parties and the public, to verify if they are valid voters.
On the recommendation to extend the display of the additional voters list from seven to 14 days, and to remove the RM10 charge for objections raised and to abolish the maximum number of objections which could be raised, he said these amendments to the EC rules would be done by Feb 1 as well.
Two more public hearings
Ongkili said PSC would function for three more months, until early April. There would also be two more public hearings, one in Kelantan (Jan 7-8), Johor Bahru (Jan 12-13) before PSC would fully focus on monitoring the implementation of the recommendations decided upon and also those recommendations not decided upon.
On Dec 19, the EC had announced three new developments in the election procedure. The first was a recommendation to use indelible ink in the next general election, which fulfiled one of Bersih’s demands.
The second was allowing the police and military to cast their votes at the ballot box two days in advance instead of through postal votes. And the third, abolishing the objection period for candidates.
The PSC’s interim report, which was officially tabled on Dec 1, touched on many contested issues such as the implementation of indelible ink, expansion of oversea absentee voters policy to all Malaysians living abroad and even the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into alleged illegal immigrants offered citizenship and subsequently turned into voters.
It was reported that subsequent to the interim report, the PSC would be tabling another 10 other new recommendations in Parliament.
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