Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I’m alive and I want to vote, says ‘dead’ granny


GEORGE TOWN: A 91-year-old registered voter is crying foul after finding out that she was declared dead and that her name had been struck off the electoral roll.

Lee Ah Poh, a grandmother, is looking forward to exercising her right as a voter like she did in 2008 and years past.

“I was shocked to discover that my name was not in the Election Commission’s (EC) system, which might prevent me from voting in the upcoming general election,” she said.

The senior citizen from Taman Free School approached Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik, who took her to the EC office in Penang to report the matter and inform the EC that she was very much alive.

Ng said a check showed that nine individuals in his constituency, all senior citizens, had been taken off the electoral roll.

“This is a major blunder by the EC, and it’s unprofessional.

“They (EC) should have conducted thorough checks on the ground before removing names from the electoral roll,” he said after meeting state EC deputy director Faiz Syazwan Zainal Abidin at the EC office in Weld Quay here.

Ng claimed he was told by the EC that the names were dropped from the electoral roll because they were found to be inactive by the National Registration Department (NRD).

“Just because some people have not changed their old identity cards to the new MyKad does not mean that they are no longer alive,” he said.

Faiz Syazwan said he would forward the matter to the EC headquarters in Putrajaya and the NRD.

“The matter will be investigated by both bodies,” he said.

Thursday February 16, 2012

By ZALINAH NOORDIN
zalinah@thestar.com.my 

source quoted from www.thestar.com.my



No comments:

Post a Comment