Umno MP files complaint over Hadi's 'phantoms'
Malaysiakini.com
Nov 28, 2006
Beh Lih Yi

An Umno parliamentarian has filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) on the alleged existence of phantom voters in a Terengganu state seat controlled by the opposition PAS.

Marang MP Abdul Rahman Bakar filed the complaint with the state EC office on Nov 6.

“The complaint was lodged after we discovered that 541 phantom voters had registered in the Rhu Rendang state seat,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Rhu Rendang - one of the four state seats under Marang - is controlled by PAS president and former Terengganu menteri besar Abdul Hadi Awang.

In late September, Abdul Rahman - who is also deputy human resources minister - claimed that the opposition party had brought 310 phantom voters into the state constituency.

However, he told reporters today that the figure had since increased as PAS was allegedly registering more non-locals as voters.

He also showed a list which stated that some of these phantom voters were residing in Selangor and Perak.

“The Umno Marang division had kept track of the latest electoral roll in the constituency since June,” he said.

'Dirty tactic' 

Abdul Rahman, who heads the Umno Marang division, accused the PAS president of employing this ‘dirty tactic’ since he won the seat in 1986.

He said the issue had been brought to the attention of the state Umno liaison committee and the party’s supreme council.

Abdul Hadi was the Marang incumbent before losing the parliamentary seat to Abdul Rahman by 163 votes in the previous general election.

However, the PAS president retained his Rhu Rendang state seat with a 1,465 majority over Umno candidate Tengku Zainudin Tengku Zahid.

Following this victory, Umno leaders had raised the phantom voters allegation but this was dismissed by PAS Terengganu commissioner Mustafa Ali who in turn accused Umno of using such voters to win the polls.

In the 2004 general election, PAS only won five of the 32 state seats and lost in all parliamentary seats in the state.
   
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