KUCHING, March 26: The Election Commission (EC) has been urged to update their voters’ list after the details of a purported 150-year-old voter was found on the list.
The voter, listed on the official EC website at https://pengundi.spr.gov.my/pengundi, named Mohd Said Mohd Arshad was listed as born on Jan 1, 1868 with IC number 680101-13-XXXX.
He is a registered voter in the Krokop voting district which is located under Pujut state constituency and Miri parliamentary seat.
In a press statement today, DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) publicity secretary Abdul Aziz Isa pointed out the suspicious existence of the said voter in the database and urged the EC to verify the validity of this voter.
“If this information is valid as obtained, this means Malaysia has created a world record for having a 150-year-old citizen,” said Abdul Aziz, who is also special assistant to Sarawak Pakatan Harapan chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
He added that the oldest living person ever recorded was a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calmant, who died in a nursing home in 1997 at the age of 122, according to the Guinness World Records.
“If indeed Mohd Said is 150-years-old, why is it not recorded in the Guinness World Records as the oldest person in the world after Jeanne Louise Calmant?” he asked.
He added that the current record holder for the oldest living person, according to the Guinness World Records, is Nabi Tajima, a Japanese supercentenarian who is, at the age of 117 years, the oldest verified living person and the last known surviving person born in the 19th century.
She is also recognised as the oldest Japanese and Asian person ever and the world’s fourth oldest person ever to be validated by modern standards.
Nabi Tajima became the world’s oldest living person after Violet Mosse Brown of Jamaica passed away on Sept 15, 2017 at the age of 117.
Nevertheless, Abdul Aziz said he doubted the authenticity of the EC listing on the website.
“If it is true, I apologise to voter Mohd Said. But if this is untrue, then the EC has the responsibility to clear the list of voters before the 14th General Election to avoid any fraudulent voting by ‘phantom voters’.
“Such a case raises the question of the legitimacy of the EC as an independent and fair polling body without seeking the favour of anyone. If this matter is not answered, it will indirectly create more concerns and questions for the EC,” he said. — DayakDaily
