Malaysia not ready for live broadcast of tallying process - EC

Live broadcast of the ballot tallying process for any by-election is not ready for implementation in Malaysia, says Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.

He said it could only be done when election candidates, political parties and the Malaysian people had reached a level of maturity in politics, so that the EC was not blamed for any untoward incident during its broadcast.

"Representatives of candidates are allowed into the room when the tallying is done, so it is feared that incidents such as quarrel or misunderstanding will only invite bigger problems among the people who are watching.

"They may see the incident from a different perspective, from what is shown on TV, but the matter may be blown out (of proportion) to become an issue to the EC," he told Bernama here Sunday.

Abdul Aziz said the EC was worried that certain quarters would take advantage of the live broadcast to grab public attention by making up matters which did not happen during the tallying.

He said the EC must also ensure the best way for the media to broadcast live as today's cameras were equipped with zoom capabilities and ballots were confidential.

"We also need to think of the movement of media personnel in the room because anything can happen in the excitement of giving the best report.

"The EC has no problem with live broadcasts, we actually encourage it to show our transparency, but we don't want it to backfire on use," he added.

Currently, he said, all by-election processes - from nomination to tallying of ballots - were recorded by a Film Negara officer under the supervision of the EC so that it did not violate confidentiality.

Earlier Sunday, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek was reported as asking the EC to re-consider the ministry's proposal for the tallying process of any by-election to be broadcasted live, via Radio and Televisen Malaysia (RTM).

The move would enable Malaysians to watch the process, and how it was done in transparency and fairness, said Ahmad Shabery.

He said the suggestion had been made during the Kuala Besut by-election last year, but was rejected by the EC on the basis that it involved polling confidentiality.