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Wednesday September 20, 2006

Malaysians fear electronic voting system is not fool proof

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian public and politicians have rejected the electronic voting system for fear that it is not fool proof.

The Election Commission (EC) has placed the idea on hold although it is prepared to introduce this new method of voting, Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said on Wednesday.

The commission had conducted a survey several years ago and most of the people had rejected the electronic system which required them to vote using the computer.

“Politicians also do not trust the system, believing that votes can be tampered with,” he said, adding that the idea had been put on hold for fear that results would be contested in court.

Abdul Rashid said the cost for having the electronic voting system was minimal and that it would be of great help in getting results faster for a huge population.

Speaking to reporters when receiving Uzbekistan’s Central Election Committee chairman M. Abdulsalomov here on Wednesday, Abdul Rashid said he would exchange ideas with his counterpart and make improvements if need be.

“Uzbekistan had experienced three general elections while we have had 11 general elections, but it does not mean our system is superior. We will share these experiences,” he said.

Abdul Rashid added that by January next year the EC will set up an election academy to train EC staff and political party workers. Training will also be offered to foreigners such as those from Uzbekistan, he added.

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