KUALA LUMPUR: Groups of people have planned to go to rural and remote areas of the country to trick village folk into believing that their fingernails have to be marked with the indelible ink before they are allowed to vote, according to information received by police.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who revealed this, said four people who had lodged police reports alleging the ink was available here are currently being interviewed.

He said two of the four reports were lodged with the Perlis police and one each with Kedah and Kelantan police. The reports were lodged between Feb 16 and 21.

“I have directed the Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) to investigate the matter,” he said.

Musa said he wrote to Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Rashid Abdul Rahman last week and informed him about the police reports.

He said he had told Abdul Rashid that there could be a security problem including chaos if the EC went ahead and used the ink.

“When these folk (with marked fingernails) get to the polling station, they are likely to be questioned and barred from voting,” said Musa.

He appealed to anyone with information on the import or possession of such ink to lodge reports immediately.

In KANGAR, Perlis CID chief Supt Mat Nasir Hussein said two reports were lodged at the Padang Besar and Mata Ayer police stations respectively even before Parliament was dissolved.

“Those who lodged the reports overhead people talking about the ink being purchased from a neighbouring country.

He was responding to the statement that the EC had cancelled the use of indelible ink on polling day, this Saturday, citing public order and security reasons. He added that police were investigating the reports.

In KUALA LUMPUR, the Opposition questioned the Election Commission’s about-turn on the use of indelible ink.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the party felt cheated by the decision.

“The EC has damaged its credibility with the decision as it had earlier said the use of the ink showed its commitment to ensuring fair and clean elections.

“I challenge the EC to explain how the use of indelible ink is deemed a threat to public security,” he said, adding that the EC had wasted RM2.4mil on 48,000 bottles of the ink.

PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa questioned why the decision was made at the 11th hour with polling just a few days away.

“We are disgusted but accept it on grounds that the use of the indelible ink can generate confusion,” he said.

PKR vice-president R. Sivarasa said the decision would not be good for Malaysia as the elections were being closely monitored.

source: theStar