PUJUT assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon has questioned the existence of a 150-year-old “voter” registered in his constituency, calling it a “typical case of a phantom voter”.

The state seat, along with Senadin and Piasau, form the Miri parliamentary seat.

Dr Ting said a person by the name of “Mohd Said Mohd Arshad”, according to the electoral roll, who was born on January 1, 1868, is still on the Sarawak National Registration Department’s records.

However, said the DAP rep, when he enquired with the NRD office in Miri, he was told that there is “no evidence he (‘Said’) had made his birth certificate or IC (identity card, or MyKad)”.

The Election Commission’s records also show that “Said” registered as a voter in 1989, at the age of 121.

“This is something the EC needs to answer. How can a person without an IC be registered as a voter?” said Dr Ting.

“The EC should know how this person is registered. Whether it was through the post office or a political party, the EC should have the records.”

He said he believes that “Said” was registered by a Barisan Nasional party.

“At that time, in 1989, BN was at its strongest.”

Dr Ting said he was prompted to carry out a check on “Said” with the NRD as he believes the registration number of the old IC – which starts with “K5” – and the last four digits of the new MyKad – 0069 – are not the norm in Sarawak.

“The NRD person told me, ‘yes’, he (‘Said’) was born on January 1, 1868, but also told me there are no records that he (‘Said’) had made his birth certificate or IC.”

He said he was told “Said” has no address, after asking the NRD employee for it.

“Now, I wonder how many such voters are on the electoral roll.”

Dr Ting said verifying the names on the electoral roll would be a tedious and time-consuming process as the EC no longer issues a soft copy.

“With the soft copy, it is easier to detect anomalies.”

Sarawak DAP, on its Facebook page last week, highlighted its discovery of the 150-year-old “voter”.

It questioned how someone born in 1868 could still be alive and have their name on the electoral roll in 2018. – March 26, 2018.