Electoral flaw: 152 voters sharing two addresses

After the Election Commission (EC) attacked the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) as a Pakatan Rakyat stooge, more evidence has surfaced to show that the electoral roll is marred with flaws as the group's mega rally on July 9 approaches.

A blogger has exposed that two addresses in the state constituency of Seberang Jaya, Penang, are shared by 88 and 64 voters respectively.

The anti-BN blogger Anak Sungai Derhaka, published all the 152 names in a posting at darisungaiderhaka.blogspot.com today, together with their MyKad numbers.

A Malaysiakini check of all the names using the EC's online electoral roll checking systemconfirmed the allegation.

The first address shared by 88 Malay and Indian voters is No 1155, Kampung Bagan Serai.

According to the results shown by the system, all of them registered at the same parliamentary and state seat, polling district and locality, which is Permatang Pauh, Seberang Jaya, Jalan Sembilang and Kg Bagan Serai (044/10/01/001).

Although their addresses vary in term of format such as “No 1155", “1155" or “1155, Kampung Bagan Serai”, they refer to the same address.

Seberang Jaya is one of the three state constituencies under the parliamentary constituency of Permatang Pauh which is held by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The second address shared by 64 voters of Malay and Indian ethnicity is No 1138, Kampung Bagan Serai, in the same locality as the first address.

The blogger claimed the two addresses belong to two small wooden houses.

Purported photographs of the two houses were also published on the blog.

Explanation sought from EC

The posting, written in Malay titled “One address with 88 voters... what is the EC's explanation?”, is in response to EC deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar's attack on Bersih 2.0 yesterday.

“He should first check the electoral roll updated in May. If he is serious about his responsibility, he should explain how this small house can accommodate 64 voters? And how another house located at the same area can accommodate 88 voters?” he asked.

Yesterday, Wan Ahmad labelled Bersih2.0 as aPakatan stoogeand alleged that the July 9 rally was merely to build momentum for Pakatan's bid for Putrajaya.

The opposition described the abnormal number of voters sharing same address as part of the 'phantom voters' phenomena.

Even PKR vice-president Azmin Ali's mother faced such a situation, where five Chinese and one Malay strangers had been registered to her house address.

However, the EC has always denied the existence of 'phantom voters' in the electoral roll and argued that those voters do exist but were wrongfully registered to that particular address.

Under the current election law, the EC has no power to 'correct' this problem unless the 'wrongfully registered' voters approach the commission to change their address.

[Source: Mkini]