Sabah voters assured of smooth 13th General Election

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he was confident that the pools would be held simultaneously throughout the country, including in Lahad Datu where five additional battalions of security forces had been deployed to beef up the security there.

"I have full confidence... because the soldiers and policemen will be allowed to cast their votes first before taking up position to maintain peace," he said in an the interview in the 'Hello Malaysia' programme on Bernama TV, here.

He said moreover, the tense situation in Lahad Datu was confined to Tanjung Batu, Tanjung Labian, Kampung Tanduo and a Felda scheme, which had been identified as the red zone.

"The police and the armed forces will maintain peace and order in these areas and protect the people if the polls are held soon," he added.

Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said recently that that the EC did not rule out that the polls in Lahad Datu and Semporna might be delayed if the mopping up operations continued and an emergency was declared by the authorities.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid dismissed claims by certain quarters that the government’s image had been tarnished due to the deaths of eight policemen and two soldiers in Ops Daulat.

Instead, he said the mopping up operations had somewhat restored the people's confidence in the government, particularly among Chinese in Sabah.

"They know how the government resolutely defend ordinary people and traders. As their businesses were not affected a few weeks before the operations started, I got feedbacks that they appreciate efforts taken by the government through the armed forces and the police.