THE Election Commission is appealing the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s order to stay the gazetting of nearly 1,000 army men and their wives as voters in Segamat, Johor.

The appeal was filed yesterday afternoon, senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan today told The Malaysian Insight.

The EC last week raised a preliminary objection against a bid by 48 voters in Segamat to remove the names of 949 army personnel and their spouses as new voters in the parliamentary constituency.

The commission had intended to gazette the names on the electoral roll in the third quarter of last year.

The attorney-general had also filed a preliminary objection to the judicial review obtained by the 48 applicants, but the objected was quashed yesterday by Judge Azizah Nawawi.

Azizah also granted leave for the 48 Segamat voters’ objection to the inclusion of the names on the electoral roll to be heard in court.

Case management was set for January 16.

Last month, 48 Segamat voters led by Abdul Wahab Hassan filed an application to remove the names of 949 army men and their spouses as new voters in an army camp that would only be completed in April. 

They sought a court order that the exercise to include the 949 voters was unconstitutional as they did not reside in the constituency.

In an affidavit in support of their application, the voters said many irregularities were discovered during a public inquiry the EC conducted in December 4 to 10 last year.

In the 2013 general election, the Segamat seat was won by MIC president Dr S. Subramaniam, who defeated PKR’s Dr Chua Jui Meng with a 1,217-vote majority.  – January 11, 2018.