INDELIBLE INK REVERSA FAVOUR OPPOSITION

Opposition parties, bloggers and news websites over reacting by taking the Election Commission (EC) to task over its eleventh hour decision to withdraw the use of indelible ink in the March 8, 2008 polls.

It’s like democracy is death in Malaysia and thus the end of the world.

The serious question remains: Is the decision taken by EC to withdraw the use of indelible ink is favour to BN or opposition otherwise?

Read the analysis by ABANG MAT, malaysiaaktif.com. below:

BLACK INK ISSUE:EC DOING FAVOUR TO OPPOSITION
Abang Mat (malaysiaaktif.com) March 5, 2008

Abang Mat (malaysiaaktif.com)

March 5, 2008

BIG UPROAR ...as if democracy is already dead in Malaysia. That’s the reaction of the opposition parties and their election machinery, including blogs and news websites that have slogged 24 hours a day to churn anti-BN propaganda as the polling day gets closer.

The source of anger is the cancellation by Election Commission (EC) of the use of black ink to deter multiple voting by voters during the coming general election.

The commission had announced the use of black ink much earlier before Parliament was dissolved to make way for the election. The move itself was a result of the pressure from the opposition especially Pas that alleged election in this country was not conducted fair and freely.

The announcement on the cancellation was made by the chairman of the commission, Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, most hatred by supporters of the opposition that his name is now spelled and pronounced as Rashit by pro-opposition bloggers.

Note: The word shit was popularised by renowned novelist and ex-Pas MP, Shahnon Ahmad as the title of his novel that satirically criticized the then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad)

According to Rashid, the cancellation of the use of black ink was made for two reasons. Firstly, the police had arrested four men for possessing some bottles of the black ink in northern states.

This meant that the same ink had been brought in illegally to sabotage the election. According to the police, it is likely that some ignorant voters’ fingers will be tainted with the ink without knowing that it will bar them from voting.

Secondly, the use of the black ink needs to be institutionalized by laws and it has not been done.

Surprisingly, the cancellation was announced only four days before polling day. The opposition quickly capitalized to strongly attack the commission, alleging that it had done so just to help BN which they claimed in dire-straits.

They alleged that without the black ink some voters will be able to vote more than once and allow the existence of phantom voters. To them this will enable BN to manipulate the election in their favour.

If that is the real intention of the Election Commission, it is simply a counter-productive move. It is doing more damage than good to BN which is now being accused by the opposition of trying misuse the independent commission for its political end.

Though Rashid and EC is taking the main brunt of the attack, the damage is more on BN which seems to work extra hard in campaigning to garner again more than two-third majority in this election.

It is obvious that if EC is helping BN by doing so, ironically the affects are the opposite. The commission is doing favour to the opposition and not to BN by canceling the use of black ink.

And if the result of this election does not meet the opposition’s target, you can be sure of another episode of EC bashing. Maybe not just in the form of nasty writings by their bloggers, but the Bersih group will be reactivated to organize new series of demonstrations.