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Malaysian opposition: Pinoys from Sabah used for poll fraud


(Updated 11:41 a.m., May 6) – Filipino flying voters are apparently not confined to the Philippines, if suspicions of the Malaysian opposition are true.
 
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has said “dubious” voters from Sabah and Sarawak, including Filipino migrant workers who have been made eligible to vote, were flown in to key states in peninsular Malaysia to boost the ruling coalition’s chances in the hotly-contested 2013 general election held on Sunday. The final results are expected on Monday.
 
Anwar claimed the incumbent Malaysian Prime Minister's Office was involved in arranging chartered flights for voters.
 
The Malaysian Insider, a Malaysian news website, also earlier quoted Anwar as saying that based on his party's study, more than 28,000 registered voters in the country are foreign workers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh
 
“Sabah alone has 15,907 registered foreign voters, mostly Filipinos and Indonesians," Anwar said at a press conference in his party's headquarters in Malaysia last April 25.
 
Anwar even accused the Malaysian government of bribing voters from Sabah with gifts, cash and cash vouchers.
 
Sabah was the site of bloody clashes last month between Malaysian security forces and followers of the Sulu sultanate, who went to the Sabah to assert their claim on the area. Dozens of Filipinos and Malaysians have been killed in clashes. Malaysian political leaders accused Anwar and other oppositionists of conspiring to exploit the troubles for political gain.
 
Denial
 
An article in The Gulf Times meanwhile said the Malaysian government already denied arranging chartered flights to transport voters. 
 
The Malaysian government reportedly said that the flights, which were supposedly funded by "friends" of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, were part of its "get out the vote" campaign.
 
The same Gulf Times article also said that the ruling party has repeatedly denied allegations that it allowed foreigners, including Filipinos, into Sabah and Sarawak to boost its voter base.
 
The Philippine government, for its part, chose to tread softly on allegations by the Malaysian opposition that Filipinos may have been used for poll fraud.
 
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that while the matter can be verified, it would not comment at this time lest it be construed as interfering in a neighboring country’s internal affairs.
 
“As to the claim (of Filipino flying voters), that is something that can be checked out. (But) at this point we don’t want to comment. That involves internal politics in a neighboring country,” she said on government-run dzRB radio on Sunday. — Andreo C. Calonzo/LBG/KG/HS, GMA News
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