Friday May 3, 2013

GE13: Give proper clarification on ink, EC urged

JOHOR BARU: DAP may get all its polling agents to shake the bottles of indelible ink on polling day following the Election Commission's (EC) explanation that this will prevent it from washing off.

Describing the EC's explanation as “ridiculous” and “a joke”, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said it should give a proper clarification.

“Now, we will have to see if we need to shake the bottles every half an hour, one hour or two hours,” he said, adding that the incident had made Malaysia a “laughing stock”.

Lim was responding to allegations on social media that the ink could be washed off, although the EC had declared that it would go ahead with its use on polling day this Sunday.

The EC had also said that some of its officers had forgotten to shake the bottles thoroughly, resulting in less silver nitrate in the ink being applied to the index finger of voters during advance voting on Tuesday.

In Petaling Jaya, PKR vice-president Tian Chua said that although there were advance voters who still had indelible ink on their fingers, the party had rejected the commission's explanation.

“Even if some of the armed forces or police personnel deny it, that is their right. The fact is that so many of them complained that the ink could come off,” he told reporters at the party headquarters.

Army officer Mejar Azmee Buang, who was said to have met PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar after advance voting, had claimed that his statements were manipulated by the Lembah Pantai candidate into saying that the ink could be washed off.

He also showed his index finger with ink still remaining on the finger and cuticle, although the colour on his nail appeared to have faded.

Tian Chua said it would have accepted the EC's explanation if this had occurred at just one polling centre.

“Silver nitrate is absorbed into the skin. Even if the bottle is not shaken, how is it that none of it can stick to the skin?” he asked.

For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site

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