Umno delegate says he received parcel with ballot papers

IPOH: A delegate to the Gopeng Umno division meeting on Oct 26, said on Thursday that he had received an express delivery parcel containing 78 ballot papers for several posts in the divisional election.

Hang Tuah Din who is also Kampung Rapat Jaya Umno branch deputy head, said he received the parcel four days after the meeting from a sender named Ikhwah Islamiah of Sungai Siput.

"There were 78 genuine ballot papers believed to have been issued or added during the meeting," he told reporters here.

Five of the ballot papers were for the post of deputy chief, three for vice chief and 70 for delegates to the party general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.

Hang Tuah said that in the parcel, there was a note which said the sender was aware of an abuse that happened in the meeting.

He said that two days after the meeting, there were 85 ballot papers in excess for the post of committee members and this cast suspicion that an abuse had happened for all posts contested.

On Friday, 20 Gopeng Umno divisional delegates staged a protest against the outcome of the meeting, claiming that cheating had occurred during the tallying process.

Taman Lapangan Permai Umno branch head Ahmad Ishak also submitted a memorandum of protest to Perak Umno liaison body executive secretary Datuk Hasbullah Othman.

In the meeting, Hamzah Mohd Kasim was elected divisional chief after obtaining 186 votes. His challengers Mustaffa Kamal Mohd Nawi and Rustam Affandy Abdul Aziz received 102 and 77 votes respectively. -Bernama