MY husband sent an SMS with his identity card number to the 33333 number to check his voting station. In response he got a surprising message “Rekod tidak ditemui. Sila daftar sbg pemileh dahulu (Record not found. Please register as a voter first)”.

He later called dialled 03-55113857 and an officer told him that his voting centre was at a Chinese school in Kampar, Perak, his hometown.

I decided to check out my centre and the officer replied that my name was not registered.

I explained to him that I had voted in Subang Jaya previously. He took down my old identity card number and handphone number. He said he needed time to check and would call back. I hope the verification can be done before March 8, so that we can vote at the Subang Jaya centre.

Both our names were dropped due to a technical glitch in 2004. Our names disappeared, despite the Election Commission’s confirmation earlier that our names were in.

I had registered as a voter in Bangsar and had voted there twice until I moved to Subang. I registered the change of address and had voted here in the 1999 elections.

For the 1999 elections we did our change of address at a small booth in a row of MPPJ stalls near the Sg Way Free Trade Zone. The recording was done manually and we got the card confirming the registration by post within two days.

I was truly amazed at their level of accuracy and efficiency. In 2004, we heard that it was a paperless, electronic system.

My husband’s centre was Kampar till he moved to Kuala Lumpur and registered here. Now, the software has put him back in Kampar.

Can someone from the SMS messaging centre explain how it got the info that my husband has not registered?

And, can the Election Commission let me know how my name got lost? Can the NGOs with “Election Watch 2008” set up some ‘help desks’ for people like us who have to go ‘hunting’?

I would like to suggest that a ‘smart team’ be set up to do the needful and confirm that the 2004 technical glitch is solved, and the voting public advised accordingly.

MENA JEYARAM,
Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Source: The Star – February 25, 2008