Red Paint Splashed Onto EC Chairman's House

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 (Bernama) -- Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman Thursday found red paint splashed onto his house, suspected to have been the work of three men who had come there in a car at about 12.30am.

He lodged a police report after seeing paint on an exterior wall, much of the flooring of the porch, the gates and on a car when he came out of the house at 7.30am to hand car keys to the driver.

He said the incident was politically motivated and he suspected that it was related to the announcement by the EC on Tuesday calling off the proposal to use indelible ink on voters' finger or nail in the general election on Saturday to prevent multiple voting by any individual.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Muhammad Sabtu Osman, who called at the house after the report was made, said a security guard at a house opposite Abdul Rashid's saw a dark-coloured car with three men in it stop in front of the house at about 12.30am.

"According to the security guard, one of the men alighted and splashed the paint in the direction of the gates. When the guard gave a shout, the man dumped the tin of paint into a rubbish bin and the men took off in the car," he said.

Muhammad Sabtu said the images recorded by the closed circuit television camera (CCTV) of that neighbouring house were blur and police could not positively identify the suspects or their car.

“Abdul Rashid's house has no CCTV," he said.

Abdul Rashid, his wife, two of their children and two maids were asleep during the incident. The night before, Abdul Rashid had appeared on an interview programme over a private television station.

"I did not hear anything unusual last night. I only saw the paint after I came out of the house this morning. I lodged a police report immediately," Abdul Rashid told reporters at his home.

The EC had called off the use of the indelible ink on polling day on Saturday after learning that some irresponsible people had smuggled in such ink and had influenced villagers in Perlis, Kedah and Kelantan that they would not be allowed to vote if they did not have the ink mark on their finger or nail.

Abdul Rashid said the paint incident would not scare him into changing any EC decision that had been made with regard to the general election.

"Those who resorted to this act of mischief are surely disappointed people who do not want to accept the reason given by the EC. They are reacting with emotion and not thinking rationally.

"Today, my house became the target, but I am not intimidated. I am unaffected by this irresponsible act. I will continue to do as fairly as possible whatever is necessary and appropriate," he said.

He did not rule out the possibility of the condemnation of the EC's decision on the indelible ink by certain political party leaders resulting in their followers getting worked up to resort to such mischief.

"I have also received threats and abuses via SMS text messages. Perhaps, these irresponsible people believe that I was the mastermind responsible for the change in the original plan (on the use of the indelible ink) without conducting a study first," he said.

"I will ensure that this general election will run smoothly in a peaceful atmosphere. I would like to remind the people to exercise their voting right in a matured and professional manner," he said.

-- BERNAMA