I will quit if I am not doing a good job, says EC chief

PETALING JAYA: Election Commis­sion (EC) chairman Azhar Azizan Harun will let the public decide whether he is doing a good job and vowed to resign if he got the thumbs down.

“I will let 30 million Malaysians judge me and the EC,” he tweeted yesterday.

“And if the majority is not happy with me or EC under me, please tell the MPs to vote against me in Parliament.

“I will resign without condition if there is such a vote. That’s my solemn promise.”

He was responding to a tweet by a person who said the EC has become worse than before Azhar was appointed as chairman.

“Today’s EC seem more like a Donkey to the government,” Rosli Ambri tweeted.

Azhar, better known as Art Harun, has been criticised for alleged inaction over allegations of wrongdoing during campaigning in the Cameron Highlands by-election, including alleged misuse of government vehicles as well as cash handouts.

He has also come under fire over the EC’s decision to close several polling stations, believed to be Barisan Nasional strongholds, earlier than others.

Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had lamented on Facebook yesterday that polling stations in the Jelai state constituency will close at 2pm to 3.30pm, while the majority of polling stations in the Tanah Rata state constituency will only close at 4pm to 5.30pm.

In GE14, DAP won Tanah Rata with a 3,589 majority against Barisan.

Jelai, on the other hand, was won by Barisan with a majority of 3,507 votes.

“We understand why they want to close the polling stations (in Jelai) early ... With improved road linkages, there is no reason to close early except for one or two places,” Najib said.

Meanwhile, Bernama quoted Azhar as saying the practice was not something new and had been implemented before, including during the elections on May 9 last year.

“This is because the distance between the polling centre and the particular vote-tallying centre is far.

“In fact, the EC has increased the number of polling streams to expedite and ensure a smooth voting process. As such, voters do not have to queue for a long time,” he added.

Azhar said a total of 811 election workers would be on duty today.

There would be 29 voting centres and 86 polling streams, he added.

“The EC has conducted checks on all the equipment such as ballot boxes and the indelible ink.

“This is to ensure everything is in good condition. Everything is ready to go,” he told reporters after a visit to the ballot box inspection centre at SMK Sultan Ahmad Shah yesterday.

Azhar also advised voters to come out early to vote and not wait until the last minute due to the uncertain weather.

He expected the official results for the by-election to be announced by 10pm today.