Election officers told to correct misconception of EC among public
LUNDU: All election officers are advised to work closely with the mass media during elections from now on in order to help explain to the public the role and duties of the Election Commission (EC).
Speaking to reporters yesterday after a luncheon and presentation of certificates to EC officers at the community hall here, EC chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hashim Abdullah said it is one of the ways to reach out to the people to address the wild accusations thrown at EC such as accusing the commission of tampering with election results, among others.
“Working closely with the mass media is one of the ways that we want to reach out to members of the public. Thus it is up to the electoral officers to do the job (working closely with the mass media) and help us, especially during elections,” he added.
Meanwhile when asked by reporters whether there will be a snap election in Sabah or whether EC is now making preparations for an election in Sabah, he did not give a specific answer.
“We are always ready and we are constantly sending our officers for training everywhere. We are ready not just in Sabah but other parts of the country as well,” he said.
The certificates were given to all EC officers who were on duty during the recently concluded Tanjong Datu by-election.
Mohd Hashim also said the reason why EC was in Lundu was to perform a post-mortem after the Tanjong Datu by-election.
“Results of the post mortem showed that the voter turnout was 68 per cent, which is actually good for a by- election. We originally expected a voter turnout of 75 per cent to encourage more voters to vote but 68 per cent for a by-election is good enough,” he commented.
Among others attending the ceremony were state EC director Datu Takun Sunggah and Lundu District Officer Hamsien Atar.