'Pondok panas' allowed by EC

PETALING JAYA (May 12, 2009) : The Election Commission (EC) has allowed political parties to set up voter registration booths (pondok panas) outside of a 50m exclusion zone around polling centres.

Pakatan Rakyat officials, who met EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and senior EC officers today, also said they agreed that campaigning should stop at midnight on the eve of polling and "that such a prohibition should be enforced".

Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR), Dzulkifli Ahmad (PAS) and Liew Chin Tong (DAP) said in a joint statement they agreed to limit the number of supporters at the polling centres.

"Both parties have agreed after referring to the relevant laws that the process of checking the voter registration list can be done outside a 50-meter exclusion zone around the polling centre. For that, the EC has no restrictions for any party that wishes to do that," said Pakatan Rakyat(PR) representatives Saifuddin Nasution Ismail(PKR), Dzulkifli Ahmad(PAS), and Liew Chin Tong (DAP).

The three, who issued a statement after a closed-door meeting between a PR team and EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and senior EC officers.

The statement added that all parties agreed to limit the amount of supporters present at polling centres.

"The EC has advised that all contesting parties not to call to their members(to attend) to keep conditions from gettign too congested," said the statement, which added that the EC agreed that it was difficult to enforce supporter limits, and that there were no laws barring it.

The statement, which was issued yesterday added that all parties had agreed that there would be a stop to campaigning at midnight on polling day, and that such a prohibition should be enforced.

It also said that all parties would meet up once every three months to review and discuss any matters that would emerge.