KUALA LUMPUR, July 20: Malaysia plans to introduce a biometric system to replace the age-old indelible ink applied on voters forefinger during elections.
“We are still scrutinising the matter internally,” said Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, an official of the country’s Election Commission.
He said the law will have to be amended if the use of ink were to be scrapped.
Omar said the biometric system would be more suitable for Malaysia as it is using digital as well as information and communication technology for the election process.
“Using indelible ink (which was mooted by the Opposition) is retrogressive. Only third-world countries use it. We have the best database of citizens. So, why should we use indelible ink like a third-world country?” Omar was quoted as saying by a local daily yesterday.
He was reacting to a statement made in Parliament by Shahidan Kassim, a minister in Prime Minister’s department, where he said the government was open to the idea of scrapping the indelible ink and replacing it with a biometric system. (PTI)
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