Now for the big battle of 2013
IT’S time for GE13. And all indications are that it will be the mother of all battles, surpassing the 12 earlier elections as far as excitement levels are concerned. And there will be many firsts. In responding to the demands of an increasingly informed electorate, the Election Commission (EC) has made several landmark announcements as part of electoral reforms to assure voters of the “cleanest and fairest” elections that the country will see.
Among 15 new measures that will be introduced this elections include the long-debated use of the indelible ink, which will be used to mark the fingers of all voters (except postal voters) to prevent multiple voting.
The EC had in 2007 decided to implement the use of the ink but changed its mind four days before polling day of the 12th general election.
Use of the ink had initially raised concerns among Muslim voters but it has since obtained the nod of the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), National Fatwa Council, the Chemistry Department and the Health Ministry.
Also for the first time in the Malaysian electoral history, voters will be supplied with ballpoint pens instead of pencils to mark the ballot papers.
According to EC deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, this is to lay to rest allegations of possible tampering of marked ballot papers as pencil marks can be easily erased.
In a move to increase transparency, 16 NGOs have been appointed by the commission to serve as observers during the election.
Special arrangements will also be made to ensure that agents appointed by candidates have an unobstructed view of voters entering polling stations.
The commission has also committed itself to carrying out consistent initiatives to “clean up” the electoral roll of dubious voter information.
It has also increased the public display period of the electoral roll from seven to 14 days.
Demands to provide greater convenience for more eligible Malaysians to vote also did not fall on deaf ears.
Among the measures to address this include early voting for the army, police and their spouses; allowing physically challenged individuals to be accompanied by a trusted person when casting their vote; and allowing media personnel and Malaysians living overseas to vote by post.
The 3,000 or so Malaysians staying abroad can be postal voters as long as they are registered as voters and had been in Malaysia for not less than 30 days in the last five years before dissolution of Parliament.
Those staying in southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia, however, will have to return home to vote.
Prior to this, only full-time students and government servants and their spouses abroad were allowed to register as postal voters.
Other measures taken to improve the electoral process include fair access to public media by all contesting parties, doing away with objection on nomination day, disallowing candidates to pull out, and the introduction of a 11-day campaigning period.
The EC has also pledged to keep voters informed with any up-to-date information via its website www.pru13.gov.my.