Friday March 15, 2013

GE13: Incursion will not affect polls in Sabah, says EC

PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission is optimistic that there will not be any need to hold separate elections for parts of Sabah affected by the incursion of Sulu terrorists.

“This is due to the improving security outlook in Sabah and the localised nature of the ongoing operations by security forces in parts of the Silam parliamentary seat,” EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said.

“I don't want to speculate on what will happen as the situation can change daily but we note the situation in Sabah is improving day by day.

“This has given us confidence that when we hold the general election, we will be able to conduct it for the whole country.”

He added that the EC had 60 days to hold elections following the dissolution of Parliament which is adequate time to decide on a suitable course of action if any further incidents were to break out in the coming weeks.

He said that postponing polling for affected parts of Sabah was an option available to the commission under the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981.

The commission could also consider shifting polling centres to more secure locations by using schools in unaffected areas nearby.

Wan Ahmad said the EC was receiving constant updates on the security situation in Sabah from various agencies, including the police and the National Security Council.

News

Friday March 15, 2013

GE13: Incursion will not affect polls in Sabah, says EC