KUALA TERENGGANU: To date, no one has been been able to prove the existence of phantom voters, despite the claims made by several political parties.
Election Commission Election Academy assistant director (Voter Education), Abdul Fatah Mohd Pilus, said the commission’s meetings with political parties and their respective agents have so far failed to prove the existence of the so-called phantom voters.
This, he said, makes the subject of phantom voters a non-issue in the upcoming 14th General Election.
“We have been transparent in carrying out our duties entrusted to us by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and we have succeeded in countering all the negative perceptions (about election transparency) by political parties,” he said.
He said agents of political parties should not act based on suspicion, such as claiming that there were Bangladeshi voters.
“There was an incident where a voter, who returned to his hometown once every five years to exercise his right to vote, was accused of being a phantom voter. The voter however had proof to show that he was a Malaysian, a local and that he had every right to vote.
“But for some reason, these agents viewed this person as a phantom voter. This is unfair not just to the voter but to the EC as well,” he added.
Fatah said the EC is more concerned about the 3.8 million people who are eligible to vote but have yet to register as voters.
He said transparency in the general election has been further enhanced with the presence of foreign observers, comprising experts and professionals who are neutral.
“In the 14th General Election, we have confirmed the presence of 14 foreign observers,” he said.