GERAKAN Tanah Air (GTA) coalition chairman and twice prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad got his wish come true in the run-up to the 15th General Election (GE15) with the Election Commission (EC) resorting to ban the use of mobile phones inside polling stations.
In a recent infographic uploaded on social media, the EC listed down 10 steps for voters to observe on polling day slated for Nov 19 (Saturday).
In the sixth step, voters are required to surrender their mobile phones to the presiding officer after having completed their verification, dipping their finger in indelible ink and collecting their ballot paper.
Recall that on Oct 20, Dr Mahathir had said there were too many flaws within the Malaysian electoral system that have yet to be addressed by the EC, including allowing voters to bring along their mobile phones when casting their votes.
According to him, such action could threaten voter secrecy which in turn could lead to information being used for bribes.
“Can’t the EC ban the practice of bringing along a mobile phone while voting?” asked the incumbent Langkawi MP. “Voters could use their phone to show that they had cast their vote for a certain party in return for money from said party.”
Dr Mahathir who is also the Pejuang chairman further noted that there are many other weaknesses in the electoral system that must be addressed before the national poll. – Nov 10, 2022
