500,000 or more DEAD Voters on Malaysia's Electoral Rolls

Says Election Commission Chairman, Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman

UPDATE: 15th January

". .... Wong Chin Huat, who is reading for a PhD at Essex University on the electoral system and its impact on the party system in West Malaysia from 1982 to 2004, said both the electoral system that involved constituency delineation, and the electoral process of nomination, campaigning, media coverage, campaign financing, the electoral roll and polling secrecy, were flawed. 'Such irregularities are well documented by the opposition parties, election watchdogs and academics, but the EC does almost next to nothing,' he said......"
Read here for more

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• ON-LINE CHECKING OF ELECTORS (Use Your IC Number to check your name on the electoral rolls, if you had registered to vote
  
  
• Election Process in Malaysia
  
  
• Parliamentary and State Assembly Seats
  
  
• Registration of Voters
  
  
• LIST OF POLITICAL PARTIES REGISTERED WITH THE ELECTION COMMISSION

( SALE OF THE ELECTORAL ROLL :The electoral roll is open for sale to the public as provided for under Regulation 28. The roll can be bought from the Operations Division of the Headquarters of the Election Commission as well as from the State Election Offices. )

Read here article in Sydney Morning Herald

About half a million of Malaysia's 10 million registered voters are DEAD, according to Election Commission Chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, the country's top election official.

According to Rashid:

"When you talk about the dead on the rolls, I admit there are a lot.

I believe that five per cent of those on the voters' list are dead.

That's why we are going from village to village to verify the dead."

He blamed the problem on poor data collection, archaic election laws and bureaucratic red-tape.

Malaysia, with 26 million people, has some 10.3 million registered voters.

In one case, a woman voter who died in 1975 at the age of 77 was still listed on the 2006 rolls, local media have reported.

Rashid also said some 4.5 million Malaysians YET to sign up as voters.

Two major opposition parties (PAS and Keadilan) said they would boycott an upcoming by-election to be held on Jan 28, because of doubtful voter lists and a lack of transparency in the poll process.

"The boycott is meant for us to send a clear signal to the government that we are serious about election reforms," said Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) deputy chief Nasharuddin Mat Isa. He said the party found discrepancies in the voters' list for the Batu Talam constituency in Pahang.

***
From Elizabeth Wong's Blog (Read here for more)

Excerpts:

"......... No one likes to give BN a walkover. But with the stunning revelation by the Election Commission (EC) Chief on Monday, 8th January, anyone who isn’t in the ruling coalition would hesitate playing in a field filled with landmines.

.... In the 1999 elections, though I had registered at Bangsar Shopping Centre two years ago, my name was missing in the final electoral rolls. Whereas in 2004, in my constituency of PJ Selatan, there were three (3!) different electoral rolls going around.

Some people I know found their deceased parents names still on the list. Azmin Ali not only chanced upon his father’s name, but apparently the late En. Ali had already voted before his son arrived.

I once met two ladies, who had retired then from the Ministry of Defence. Over tea and scones, I asked them about the postal votes.

Apparently, they were in charge of those who were stationed away on voting day, and their section’s task was (to) vote on behalf of them.

“100% BN?” I asked. “No lah (giggles), we have to make sure there’s some balance. Only 70%.”

Perhaps the quota’s changed since then.

And how can we forget the night during the 1999 elections, when the count was completed in the constituency of Pantai and Zainur Zakaria led by more than a thousand votes.

*Poof*! The lights went out and when it was back on, “oh-look-there’s MORE ballot boxes at the corner”.

Time and time again, the NGOs have called on the EC to overhaul the entire electoral system.

There have been more than enough reports and data to support this (see Suaram’s Human Rights Report 1999 and 2004, for starters), but the EC responds by merely throwing its hands in the air.

......... some weeks ago, I read Zainah Anwar’s NST column, where she said her friends weren’t planning to vote in the coming General Elections, and by default, was asking others to boycott it.

Because in reality, we NEVER had a real choice.

There was NEVER a level-playing field.

The key word here is credible. Next to credibility, is legitimacy.

Here, there have been several boycotts in past elections and by-elections, but this time, it appears that the Opposition is intent on forcing the EC to reform.

If the EC fails to deliver, then our electoral system will be an international embarrassment, not unlike many of the despotic states.

...... on Wednesday night, I applauded along with more than a thousand people under the pelting rain, when a voice boomed through the speakers of Kampung Sega, “We will boycott this by-election - for the future of democracy.”

-Elizabeth Wong



***
From CUIT SIKIT Blog (Read HERE for more)

Excerpts:

"...Saya ingin berbeza pendapat dengan Datuk A Kadir Jasin yang menganggap tindakan Pas dan Keadilan menarik diri sebagai bacul. Bagi saya percaturan Pas kali ini amat tepat dari segi taktikalnya. Read here for more..."

"Kepada ahli UMNO dan pengundi BN di DUN Batu Talam:

......saya adalah ahli UMNO yang percaya bahawa hanya UMNO merupakan tunggak perjuangan orang Melayu, agama Islam dan parti yang berkemampuan memacu kejayaan negara ini. Hanya UMNO yang mempunyai kemampuan untuk memimpin Barisan Nasional yang terdiri daripada parti pelbagai kaum, agama, bangsa dan kepercayaan.

.... pilihan raya kecil DUN Batu Talam ini boleh menjadi satu amaran jelas kepada para pemimpin UMNO terutamanya Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang semakin bongkak dan rakus.

Sekiranya kita ahli dan penyokong UMNO serta pengundi Barisan Nasional percaya bahawa UMNO dan kerajaan hari ini sudah menyimpang dari mandat-mandat 2004, maka kita perlu memberi pengajaran kepada pucuk pimpinan dalam pilihan raya kecil ini.

Sekiranya kita percaya perlakuan-perlakuan Presiden UMNO dan ahli keluarganya tidak bertanggungjawab dan bakal merosakkan UMNO, BN dan Negara, maka menjadi kewajipan kita untuk mengalah BN dalam pilihan raya kali kecil ini.

Jika kita berpendapat tindakan-tindakan kerajaan hari ini bukan sahaja merosakan Proton, Utusan Malaysia tetapi juga tunduk kepada syarikat-syarikat besar Singapura, maka inilah pentas terbaik untuk memberi isyarat kepada pucuk pimpinan.

Perlakuan-perlakuan para menteri dan Datuk Seri Abdullah terhadap Tun Dr. Mahathir bukan sahaja tidak wajar malah sukar diterima akal. Maka sudah tiba masanya kita ahli UMNO, penyokong UMNO dan pengundi BN menyatakan protes secara jelas kepada Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Ini bukan isu UMNO. Ini bukan isu Timbalan Presiden UMNO. Ini bukan isu Menteri Besar Pahang, mahu pun isu parti pemerintah lawan pembangkang.

Isu di sini ialah tindak-tanduk dan tingkah laku YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan menantu beliau sudah sukar diterima oleh rakyat termasuk bekas Perdana Menteri YBhg Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Apakah kita mahukan UMNO dan BN yang memimpin atau anak menantu Abdullah yang menguasai kerajaan?

Hari ini Abdullah sudah menjadi bongkak dan takbur.

Bukan sahaja beliau mengarahkan diperang habis-habisan Tun Dr. mahathir, malah setiap teguran atau pandangan orang ramai dijawab dengan ungkapan bahawa beliau mendapat mandat terbesar pada 2004.

Keputusan pilihan raya ini tidak mengubah kekuatan BN Pahang.

Inilah sahaja cara kita memastikan maruah UMNO tidak tercela dan Pak Lah mendapat mesej yang jelas! ...."