Pakatan protests EC decision

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakatan Rakyat urged the Election Commission to revoke its ruling that bans the setting-up of voter information booths or “pondok panas” by political parties during polling.
PAS elections director Datuk Mustafa Ali said the Pakatan alliance will seek a meeting with the Commission on Thursday to ask it to explain its reason for imposing the ruling, which will be enforced during the Penanti by-election on May 31.
He said Pakatan also questioned the need to limit the number of people or supporters attending nomination and polling days, and also when the results are announced.
“We have had no problems in past general elections or by-elections ... except for one or two heated situations between opposing party supporters.
“These are minor issues that shouldn’t be treated as a big problem,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting with senior officials from Pakatan alliance members PAS, PKR and DAP at the PAS headquarters here Tuesday.
PKR vice-president R. Sivarasa said the information booths are useful for political parties to help check the voters’ list.
“We agree that campaigning should stop at midnight on the eve of polling, and there should not be campaigning on polling day.
“But political parties have the right under the law to check the voters’ list through the pondok panas,” he added.
Both were commenting on Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof’s statement on Monday that the booths would be banned starting from the Penanti by-election.
Abdul Aziz said this was because the number of supporters making last-ditch appeals to voters were increasing, while tense moments had occurred when opposing party supporters turn up in bigger numbers.

tunku : i think it is the best thing EC had suggested. There is no point for these pondok panas and the peraih undi on polling day.They can campaign how they like with the rule of law before the polling day.On the polling day let the voters go to the polling centre with a more relax and clear mind.They have decided much earlier who they wanted to vote, they won't change their mind at the polling centre.For me there should not even be marching of the candidates and their supporters to the nomination centre during nomination day.it does not bring any good to both parties.i guess the political parties in malaysia should change with the time.we are moving to be a developed nation and this is not the way of a developed nation.