he Election Commission (EC) today confirmed that it has issued instructions to state election directors to stop the distribution of the first quarter draft of the Supplementary Electoral Roll (RDPT) to political parties during the exhibition of the RPT draft.

EC secretary Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh said it was for the early notification to state elections directors before the official notification letter about it to all political parties is issued in the near future.

"This applies not only to political parties but also to all other interested quarters," he said in a statement today.

He explained that based on Rule 13, Election Regulations (Registration of Voters) 2002, the exhibiting of the draft of the Supplementary Electoral Roll (DPT) is carried out in places gazetted as places for exhibiting the draft of the DPT for 14 days by displaying a list of the names of applicants who applied for registration as new voters and voters who apply for change of addresses of constituencies.

"In this exhibition period, the DPT draft is open for review by the public, including political parties for submitting claims or objections on the list of names displayed in the DPT draft," he said.

Prior to this, he explained, it was the practice of the EC to distribute the DPT draft to political parties for the purpose of notification that the process of checking was taking place.

"However, the 773rd EC Meeting on March 28 decided that the DPT draft (books and hard disc) are no longer distributed to political parties from the 2017 First Quarter DPT draft exhibition," he said.

Abdul Ghani said the decision was made in view of the sufficient exhibiting processes to enable stakeholders to check the names of the applicants involved.

He said, at this time, interested parties still have full access to the DPT draft on display for checking, claims and objections purposes.

Cessation of the practice does not at any time limit the access of stakeholders to the RDPT on display and at the same time, there are no legal requirements for the EC to do so.

He said the EC will send a formal notification letter to all political parties on this matter in the near future in relation to the cessation of the practice of supplying DPT drafts (books and compact disc) by the EC with effect from the exhibition of the 2017 First Quarter Supplementary Electoral Roll (RDPT) exhibition.

Therefore, he said, any party wishing to make revisions on the DPT draft during the exhibition period for the purposes of making a claim or objection to the DPT draft, shall make such revisions on the exhibition grounds of the DPT draft as gazetted.

- BERNAMA