KUANTAN: A manual voting system would be better for the PKR elections this time around, as the e-voting system which had been used in the abortive polling in Penang and Kedah appeared to have many weaknesses.
State PKR chairman Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman said this was his personal opinion on the matter, adding that the e-voting system was perhaps better used for the future.
He said it was brave of PKR to introduce the e-voting system, but it now appeared to not be so appropriate due to several obstacles, such as the slow Internet speeds in some areas.
“Apart from that, other problems may arise should some party members not know how to cast their votes... if party election committee members try to help these party members, there may be allegations of attempts to influence votes.”
Fauzi said this when asked to comment on the technical problems which surfaced over the weekend during polling at PKR branches in Penang and Kedah.
At least one branch in Kedah saw fighting among PKR members, leaving the PKR election committee with no choice but to postpone voting.
On whether the PKR polls in Pahang, set for Oct 6, would go on as scheduled, Fauzi said the matter was up to the election committee.
“We, at the state level, are not involved in the matter... they will decide once they investigate the cause of the breakdown. I only hope the problems that occurred in the other areas are not repeated... there needs to be an investigation as to whether there exist certain parties who want to sabotage proceedings.”