Nazri Strongly Backs Postal Voting. I Wonder Why
In this age of superspeed electronic communication, one cannot be blamed for asking why Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz is so keen on maintaining the very outdated and outmoded postal voting system. According to Bernama, our self-appointed guardian of Parliament said that, "postal voting is still relevant as it allows armed forces and police personnel on duty during election to exercise their responsibility to vote." How caring and oh how democratic! Doesn't want anyone to be disenfranchised. Laudable indeed.
Nazri even assured that the entire process of postal voting is absolutely neutral, safe and aboveboard when he said that "the removal of postal vote envelopes by the election officer could be observed by agents from contesting parties as witnesses. We do not interfere in the armed forces and police administration. Things like where the personnel votes are made are decided by them."
So far so good. However when questioned further on the details, he was obviously on shaky ground. He had no choice but to admit that while the handing over of postal votes envelopes to the voters at army camps and police headquarters were only done by the Election Commission officer, witnesses from the opposition parties and from Barisan Nasional (BN) are barred from observing the process at army camps and police headquarters.
He further said that the postal voting process was conducted by the armed forces and police without interference from outside parties. Not very reassuring is it?
Just one question for the Election Commission. Since there have been so many doubts cast on the fairness and lack of transparency of the postal voting process, as well as the numerous allegations that these postal ballots are used/misused to shore up the fortune and prospects of favoured ruling party candidates, why is the Commission not switching to a more reliable mode of voting? Are the officers of the Election Commission being constrained by government pressure, or do they lack the guts and what lies inside the scrotal sac, or have they decided that it is better to think of their future than that of the democratic process which they have sworn to superintend and safeguard? Anyone would like to give some truthful answers on behalf of the Commission?
Image - Source
Labels: Elections, Questionable Behaviour
posted by The Malaysian. at 7/11/2007 12:59:00 PM
4 Comments:
NOW YOU KNOW WHY
For a lot of military and police personnel and their spouse, their votes are cast through "postal ballots" where the actual marking of ballots is unscrutinized. Only the opening of postal ballots and the counting is done in a transparent way. Postal ballots can constitute up to 4 – 5 % of the total ballots cast in the whole elections.
http://www.aliran.com/oldsite/hr/js10.html
There have been widespread and long-standing complaints that postal votes are marked by officers/captains of particular units through whom the ballot papers are sent while individual soldiers seldom get to mark them. The majority of postal voters are also registered in constituencies where the margin of support are narrow for the Barisan Nasional, so that the postal votes can tip the support in favour of the Barisan Nasional.
http://members.tripod.com/ris20204/_disc2/00000203.htm
A long standing tactic to influence or back up votes for BN. They can shift the numbers around in perceived less safer seats for BN parties. When it comes to "hanky panky" tactics, nobody in their camp cares about integrity, only winning even if it is Hidden hands" under the brand of Malaysian styled democracy. better call it Nazism.
Postal votes = Insurance policy for Umno MP's. Just as Njib.
In publication: titled, "Law and the Electoral Process" by S. Sothi Rachagan pp181: quote:
The arrangements for the despatch of postal ballot papers are to be previously approved by SPR. In practice very few ballot papers are posted; those of the army personnel are sent through their respective commands and those of the police through the Officer in Charge of the Police District (OCPD). They are also returned via the same channels.
"It has been alleged that senior officers exert undue influence on junior ranks." (unquote)
"There were, (for instance) in the GE 1990, a total of 121,476 army personnel adn their wives and 71,889 police personnel entitled to the postal vote, in ALL 193,365 persons. Such a large number of votes no doubt significantly AFFECT election results. You can imagine the increasing numbers of postal votes as in 2004 and this coming GE. Speculated to be as early as September or in November, the latest, this year.
Post a Comment
<< Home