MALAYSIA'S EC TO DISPLAY LIST OF 40,000 DOUBTFUL VOTERS

SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia), Oct 13 (Bernama) -- The Election Commission
(EC) will be displaying a list of 40,000 names found in the electoral roll but
information on them could not be verified, said EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd
Yusof Thursday.

He said the commission would be displaying the names for public viewing on
its website to enable the individuals concerned to visit the EC's office to
resolve the issue.

"Their status could not be ascertained, in some cases the voter's name in
the electoral roll differed with that recorded by the National Registration
Department.

"In other cases, we want to ensure whether the voter is still alive or not,"
he told reporters after opening the 13th general election preparation briefing
to returning officers and assistant returning officers at a hotel here.

Abdul Aziz, however, said the list of 40,000 doubtful names was small and
that EC was in the process of improving the electoral roll.

On the briefing Thursday, Abdul Aziz said it was to provide initial
information to returning officers and assistant returning officers on their
duties and responsibilities during the 13th general election.

He said the first briefing was being held in Selangor state but would be
extended to other states such as Kelantan, Perak and Penang soon.

Abdul Aziz, however, said the briefing was only to train EC duty officers so
that they were in a state of preparedness should the 13th general election be
called but it did not mean the general election was very near.

He said the EC needed a staff strength of at least 160,00 people for the
13th general election compared to 150,000 in the last general election.
-- BERNAMA