SDP: Transportation of ballot boxes open to serious questions

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Thursday, 26 May 2011

Singapore Democrats

The SDP had written to the Elections Department and queried the inconsistencies regarding the rules and regulations of polling procedures. Different presiding officers seemed to apply the rules differently during the course of Polling Day.

The Elections Department (ELD) replied to clarify the rules which, in effect, only made matters more confusing. It asked for more information about the incidents and promised to "look into them further."

The Singapore Democrats continue to ask questions of the ELD because inconsistently applied rules create confusion and raise questions about the entire polling process and, hence, results.

Now that GE2011 is behind us, it is tempting to forget about all that happened and happened wrongly. However, we must continue to scrutinise the ELD's practices and procedures. This is especially important for future elections - the next one being just a few months away.

Volunteers, political parties indeed all citizens must hold the ELD to a high standard of transparency and fair-play.

In our on-going correspondence with the ELD, we provide the names and places where we spotted discrepancies and inconsistencies that need to be addressed.

One that needs particularly urgent attention is the transportation of the ballot boxes to the counting centres. Our polling agents reported that when a bus came to pick up the ballot boxes at their polling station, there were already ballot boxes on board. We presume that these were boxes that were picked up from another polling station.

Our polling agents wanted to verify this by checking those boxes. Unfortunately they were prevented from doing so. How does one ensure that the boxes being transported are indeed the ones that were used for polling during the day from another polling station?

26 May 2011

Ms Goh Jing Xian
Manager (Public Education & Training)
Elections Department, Prime Minister’s Office

Dear Ms Goh,

We thank you for your reply.

Before I give you the names of the places where we encountered problems, I wish to bring to your attention another observation.

Our polling agents stationed at Beacon Primary School said that when the bus arrived to pick up the ballot boxes, they noticed that there were already ballot boxes on board. We presume that these were ballot boxes that were picked up from another polling station.

Our polling agents wanted to verify this by checking those boxes. Unfortunately they were prevented from doing so. How does one ensure that the boxes being transported are indeed the ones that were used for polling during the day from another polling station?

With regards to the disallowance of candidates into the polling stations, we wish to bring to your attention that at the Hwa Chong Institution, Bukit Timah Primary School, and Raffles Girls Primary School our Holland-Bukit Timah GRC candidates were refused entry.

This is in contravention of the Parliamentary Elections Act which, as you say, states that "candidates contesting at the election in a constituency and their authorised polling agents may enter a polling station during the poll in that constituency."

With reference to food being consumed inside the polling stations, we wish to inform you that across the polling stations at the Sembawang and Holland-Bukit GRCs, we were allowed to deliver meals to our polling agents.

However, at around 5pm when we were getting dinner for our polling agents at several polling stations across the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, we were suddenly prevented from going into the polling stations to handover the food. This was not the case for the polling stations in the other constituencies.

We also note that in your letter you state that: "Polling agents are allowed to enter the polling station on condition that the election agent has informed the presiding officers of the names of the polling agents who are to be stationed at the polling station."

We were told the day before by ELD officials that we did not have to inform the presiding officers the names of our polling agents before they could enter the polling stations. All they needed to do was to present the oath of secrecy form and the letter of appointment. Hence, we did not prepare any list.

Yet, without these lists our polling agents were allowed entry into all the polling stations except for one.

You also say that, "Each time a candidate’s polling agent seeks entry to the polling station during the day, the presiding officer will ask to check the letter of appointment and to keep the oath of secrecy form."

Apparently this is not the case as the polling stations at our Sembawang GRC did not insist on this procedure. Our polling agents at the Beascon Primary School at the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC was also not required to hand in the oath of secrecy form each time they entered the station.

Finally, the schedule provided to us clearly stated that the main counting centre for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC was at the Zhenghua Secondary School. However, our candidates were told by the presiding officer there that the Zhenghua school was not the main counting centre. Asked where it was, your officials said that they did not know.

These inconsistencies make the polling monitoring process extremely unsettling and raise many questions about the polling process itself. We hope you will look into them and provide us with clarifications.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party

18 May 2011

Dear Mr Chee,

We refer to your email to the Returning Officer dated 12 May 2011 and would like to make some clarifications.

The Parliamentary Elections Act states that candidates contesting at the election in a constituency and their authorised polling agents may enter a polling station during the poll in that constituency. Polling agents are allowed to enter the polling station on condition that the election agent has informed the presiding officers of the names of the polling agents who are to be stationed at the polling station. For each polling place within the polling station, there can be one polling agent per candidate (or group of candidates in the case of a Group Representation Constituency). If polling agents are to change in the day, all the new or substitute names have to be provided to the presiding officer.

Every polling agent must therefore produce a duly completed and signed Oath of Secrecy with Letter of Appointment of Polling Agent Form (EC18/EC161) to the presiding officer at the main entrance before entering the polling station. After checking, the presiding officer will keep the form. Each time a candidate’s polling agent seeks entry to the polling station during the day, the presiding officer will ask to check the letter of appointment and to keep the oath of secrecy form. (A similar arrangement applies for counting agents.) This is because election officials at the entrance to polling stations may be rotated during the day and therefore cannot recognise polling agents earlier admitted. Candidates and their election agents have been given multiple forms of EC18/EC161 to use.

At the polling stations, given Singapore’s hot climate, bottled water is provided for candidates and their polling agents. However, consumption of food and other beverages is not allowed within the polling place. This is to minimize the risk of damage to ballot papers and to keep the limited space within the polling station clean. Candidates and their agents may however take their meals outside the polling stations.

We note the general feedback provided and would welcome any further specific feedback on where and when the incidents occurred so that we can look into them further.

Your email also referred to the voters who did not turn up to vote. You may wish to refer to the Statements of Poll gazetted on 12 May 2011 which contains relevant information on the number of votes cast.

Yours faithfully,

GOH JING XIAN (MS)
Manager (Public Education & Training)
Elections Department, Prime Minister’s Office

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Comments (14)

Thu 26 May 2011 7:18 PM | Social_justice - Concern.

Under the newly promoted leaderships of Tharman and Shammugan, it seems that Singapore is slowly steering towards an indian state. It appears that 60,000 more indian workers will be added to our workforce. Will our racial proportions be affected? Will we wake up one day to find that our PM is an indian, and the majority of our population are indians?

Thu 26 May 2011 10:51 PM | Robox

no place for racist crap like the one posted by "social justice" on the SDP websitt.

And s/he has the cheek to give yourself the moniker "social justice". Perhaps, you mean social justice China style.

Thu 26 May 2011 11:51 PM | freedomT

Actually Social justice is right in one thing: There are too many Indian Nationals in Singapore but he is wrong to say that Singapore is becoming an Indian state. I think Singapore is becoming a Pinoy state instead. Indians Nationals are known not to stay and die in Singapore because of their culture's belief but these Pinoy are bringing in their Families from the Philipines into Singapore. The whole F families that even include their grandparents, aunts, uncles and kids. This is more serious. With their selfish nature, who knows they might be the President and might rob us of our parliment. Just what they did in Manila when they force their own government to meet their demands. May I suggest here for:

1) A referendum to take place on immigration and on foreign talents entering into Singapore. Preserved native Singaporean population at above 80% as in other countries.

2) A referendum on the political system of Singapore. This one party one person system is outdated. May I suggest we get rid of the elected 4 millions president post and replaced it with either a dual system as in Andorra Co-prince or a collective council as in Swizerland or a constitutional monarchy with the Johor Sultan as King of Singapore again but represented by him a Governor-General as in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. All these system will have the head of state have reserved and veto powers in Military, Native Rights, Immigration and reserves. Commander in chief of the SAF. Removed all these powers from the PM to safeguard our Rights.

3) A referendum on the parliment. May I suggest a 2 chambers for the parliment. Lower and upper to check and balance of the system. Lower is elected by us and upper half is elected by us and half is reserved for the religious groups of Singapore. 3 levels to pass to become law. One by the lower chamber, 2nd by the upper chamber and lastly by the head of state which will have his own independent council to gather feedbacks from us the people of Singapore. The independent election department will be under the head of state office instead in the PMO.

4)A referendum on the Ministers salaries.

Lets solve this once and for all through referendum. Safeguard our rights as true blood Singaporean and prevent any foreigner from taking power from us the native.

Fri 27 May 2011 10:06 AM | Prime Citizen

Social justice look at every citizen under the scope of PINK IC regardless of race, country of birth and society standing. WE have much to correct in our political landscape to really experience this term 'social justice' in its pure sense of the word. One stumbling and draconian issue is the present sacredcow of PAP , the ISA and ISDepartment inherited from the colonism Britons. Until this ISA is abolish and ISD removed , all debate on social justice is just lip sefvice at best.

Fri 27 May 2011 10:11 AM | Prime Citizen

Do you think is ridiculous to mark a cross beside the party synbol if you want to vote for the same party, This practice of crossing is opposite sound mind: we cross out the thing we don't want and we put a right tick when we agree or like certain thing, right?

An elderly citizen also mistaken the voting process and she ended up copied the hammer next to the printed hammer. She took more than five minute at the ballot booth. She complained that it is never easy to draw a hammer within a small square. This may sound silly or joke to some of us, but it is real happening in our Singapore politic.

Fri 27 May 2011 8:50 PM | Robox

I guess it's true: Malay racists are no different from Chinese ones.

But the more important question is: How does any of the racism against Indians ONLY fit into the SDP's policy direction?

Fri 27 May 2011 2:13 PM | Social_justice

Let me clarify on my earlier posting.

No doubt that it is a sensitive to talk about race, and that we have to be careful with the choice of words, this doesn't mean we shouldn't be discussing and debating on racial issues and policies should they affect our lives.

Singapore has been documented in our literature as a predominated chinese nation. It is also known as a "miniature" china. If this racial proportion is tipped with a biased influx of indian workers, how would that affect our economy? How would that affect our long-awaited-for Singapore spirit, if the predominated race keeps changing after a few decades?

Fri 27 May 2011 5:22 PM | Prime Citizen

i know one race worth standing up for : human race.

Fri 27 May 2011 5:28 PM | Prime Citizen

The Elections Department (ELD) should allow the polling agents from each contesting party to accompany the ballot boxes until they are safety reach teh counting centers and see them safety handed over to the rightful official in charge. No time should these ballot boxes be without the continuos hawkeyes of the polling agents.

Sat 28 May 2011 9:09 PM | Jufrie - Rules not adhered to

All buses which pick up the ballot boxes from the polling stations are supposed to head straight to counting centre/s. No stops in between -not even to pick up other ballot boxes - are allowed.
Polling agents are supposed to boared the bus/es as they arrive to pick up the ballot boxes to check and confirm that the bus/es do not carry any other ballot boxes. What happened was indeed strange. If true it is a serious infringement of the rules. Shouldn't we pursue this matter to its logical end?

Sun 29 May 2011 9:37 PM | govineela - racist

Social_justice- (wrong name) B4 u commetn, please find out what is total population of Indian Singaporeans, (India Indians majority do not have the intention to stay put(original intention was to go to Canada via S'pore) And we S'pore Indians too do not quite want too many of them(slow in everything-ordering food in fast food/getting down fr buses..etc..still more..)
Many yrs back, as the fear that the malays were having too many children, the chinese nationals were brought in (always majoruty- we not complaining) Hongkongers too were here then (U people were against them calling them 'HONGkEES'. NOW BACK TO OUR BELOVED COUNTERY, How many indian Ministers/MPs do we have - I also not sure .-we indian never complain and we definitely do not want another India (or chingapore).
Let SDP do their job to serve of all us(no language/religion/race/ rich/ poor etc..deter them). Let us all be Singapore Singaporeans. (My teacher said that we shd not be called Indians/Chinese/Malays) why? America -americans/Britain-British/China-CVhinese etc.. U get this? Take care be social justice
SDP Friend

Sun 29 May 2011 9:46 PM | govineela - Rules not adhered to...

Can a police report be made( are the polling agents willing to stand as witnesses. All concerned shd be called up to give clarifications including the bus-driver. In future the buses shd be tracked.
For our centre- the three of bus,made sure every part of the bus was checked(including the engine compartment).signed the boxes,followed behind the buses in car n motor bike. Accompanied till handing over at the countering centre.We were lucky, all the presiding officers were good to us. -
By the way were all the boxes signed. If yes can every box be requested to be examined.
SDP Friend.

Mon 30 May 2011 12:00 AM | freedomT

govineela: Actually it is true that Lee kuan yew brought in Oversea Chinese to be Singaporean is to prevent the Malays from becoming majority again in Singapore. As you can see for Malays, they are still having more than 3 kids per family compared with 1 for both Chinese and Indians. They are still Malays will more than 5 kids. I know of a Malays family having 9 kids. To the PAP, Singapore will become like Pulau Pinang. The Malays have overtaken the Chinese Penang population. Nature will take its course. In other to keep the PAP in power, they need the Chinese as the majority and not the Malays. Malays tend to vote for the opposition. So all policies are in place to prevent Malays from overtaking the Chinese and that includes in education and military. This is where the PAP is not fair to the Malays. Compare with the number of miniteries an Indian hold is more than a Malay. Indian hold Law, DPM, Finance, security, environment and foreign ministeries compare with Communication for the Malays. 2 Indian Ministers compare with 1 Malay Minister. An Indian is even the DPM and President compare with the only speaker post for the Malays. Do you think this is fair to the Malays? I say we place each race in a ministry. For example if the minister is an Indian, the 2nd minister would be a Malay and the Minister of state is a Chinese and vice versa. Fair to all.

Mon 30 May 2011 12:14 AM | gribaldi - Social_justice..What racist crap are you sprewing

"Singapore has been documented in our literature as a predominated chinese nation. It is also known as a "miniature" china. If this racial proportion is tipped with a biased influx of indian workers, how would that affect our economy? How would that affect our long-awaited-for Singapore spirit, if the predominated race keeps changing after a few decades?"

Exactly what crap are you sprewing??
So you mean that being "a predominated chinese nation" and a "miniature China" is an accurate description of Singapore and anything that tips that description would negatively affect our economy..and that our so-called long awaited Singapore spirit is based on being a predominated Chinese nation??? Again it begs to be asked of you..
EXACTLY WHAT CRAP ARE YOU SPREWING?.