Phantom voters 'flown in' to Malaysia

Phantom voters 'flown in' to Malaysia

The Malaysian opposition has accused the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition of bringing more than 40,000 foreigners into the country to vote for them in Sunday's election.

A supporter of Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition waves a banner during Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's launch of his election manifesto at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, on April 6, 2013. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has accused the Prime Minister's office of arranging for phantom voters to be 'flown in' to Malaysia, in order to vote for the coalition. (AFP Photo)

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed that the Prime Minister's Office had arranged for tens of thousands of suspect voters to enter from Sabah and Sarawak. He suggested that they had been flown into peninsular Malaysia on chartered flights. 

Mr Anwar insisted that he had "credible documentary evidence" to support his claim, adding that the arriving foreigners had been picked up by chartered buses or government agency vehicles, to be taken to locations in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and other key battleground states.

According to the Straits Times, he told a press conference: “The timing of this surge in arrivals and its sheer size naturally raise the question of whether these people have been transported here surreptitiously to vote for the Barisan Nasional.” 

The Prime Minister's Office strongly denied "any involvement in these flights". In a separate statement, Malaysia Airlines said its planes had not been used for the alleged charter flights.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin branded the claims “absurd”. He said: "We all know there is the electoral roll and people cannot be sent anywhere”.

Barisan Nasional secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor said the flights had in fact been organised to bring Malaysians home to vote, The Star newspaper reported.

Many organisations and political parties conduct "get out the vote" campaigns, he said. The flights were organised and paid for by “friends” of the Barisan Nasional coalition, he added.

The issue of phantom voters has long plagued Malaysia. In the state of Sabah, where more than a quarter of the population are foreigners, a royal commission of inquiry has been set up to investigate allegations that the government gave identity cards to foreigners in exchange for votes ahead of the 1993 elections, under then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

But some commentators say that accusations about dubious voters are part of opposition tactics to discredit the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Local news portals meanwhile reported that more than 20,000 foreigners are being held in immigration detention centres in Selangor, waiting to cast their votes in the election, the Straits Times said.

Immigration Department director-general Alias Ahmad denied the claims. He said no foreigners from Sabah or Sarawak were being held in the peninsula.

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