Ink: 'No last minute recall please'

Dec 20: Following the Election Commission's announcement that it was ready to use indelible ink on voters at the next general election, PAS reminded it not to repeat the 2008 fiasco when a similar decision was withdrawn at the last minute. PAS elections director Dr Hatta Ramli said while the party welcomed the decision, the 'bad memory' of 2008 had made the party to more wary of EC's statements. “We hope that there would be no more excuses, such as delay in ink delivery, or anything else. We just want assurance on the quality of the ink,” the Kuala Krai member of parliament told Harakahdaily. EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof gave his assurance yesterday that indelible ink would be used in the next general election. He also agreed to allow advance voting for military men and spouses, as well as police and spouses of the General Operations Force, unless they were on duty and opted for postal voting. The two changes were part of the recommendations by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for electoral reforms at the Dewan Rakyat recently. In the 2008 elections, the decision to use the indelible ink, which will identify those who already cast their ballots and thwart any attempt to vote twice, was revoked at the last minute citing legal complications. Hatta (left), who is also a member of the PSC, urged EC to explain the usage of the indelible ink so that the party could brief its workers early. Hatta also said the decision to finally use indelible ink must be attributed to the people's continuous pressure on EC to reform. “We hope the indelible ink will prevent people from double voting,” he added. Last month, the EC said it wanted a final ruling from the National Fatwa Council with regards to the permissibility of the ink on Muslims. The indelible ink rule is a common feature of elections in many countries, including in recently concluded polls in Tunisia and Egypt. Ink is applied to the left hand index finger, especially to the cuticle to slow down its disappearance. It normally remains visible for at least 72 hours, and will take 2-3 weeks for the cuticle to be free of all signs of staining.