Voters seen lining up for cash at village chiefs’ houses

24 July 2013

0 Pendapat

Pendapat Anda?

Malaysiakini

Voters have been sighted queuing up for money outside the houses of at least two village chiefs in Kuala Besut today, supposedly for their travel allowance.

They were spotted at the Kampung Lay Out village chief’s residence in the Tok Saboh polling district and at the residence of the chief of another village nearby.

Malaysiakini is withholding the name of the second village pending a formal response from someone in authority.

According to several voters met byMalaysiakini near the SK Kampung Nangka polling centre and outside of the village chief’s house – most of whom refused to be named – the money is for voters from outstation returning to vote.

The sum ranges from RM50 for those returning from Kota Baru to RM200 for those returning from Kuala Lumpur.

However, when asked to confirm this, a man identifying himself as Kampung Lay Out village chief ‘Rajees’ replied, “I am the millionaire here. I can give my money to anyone I like.”

Asked why the disbursement coincided with the polling day for the Kuala Besut by-election, Rajees said the money was for duit raya.

He said the forms being submitted by voters to claim the allowance was for auditing purposes.

Rajees refused to give his full name, nor allow pictures to be taken at his house, where BN and Umno flags decorated the gate and about 50 people were queuing to claim their money.

Meanwhile, a local resident met near Rajees’ house, who would only  identify himself as ‘Rizal’, said the money was to meet the travel costs of the voters and that this had also been provided during the May general election.

The scene was also similar at the home of the other village chief about noon, where Malaysiakini sighted a clerk handing out RM200 to a voter while others queued for their turn.

However, soon afterwards, a villager told Malaysiakini to leave the scene.

Malaysiakini has not been able to obtain a concrete response from the cash recipients as to whether only supporters of a certain political party were eligible for the money.

According to one of those in the queue at Rajees’ house, a youth from Kuala Lumpur who wished to be identified only as Hilmi, he was contacted by phone before polling day and his name was added to a list.