In fact, the service infrastructure provided and will be provided by the government is extended to rural areas, and not just focused on urban and suburban areas as promised by the opposition in its master plan, dubbed the Orange Book.
An information, communication and technology (ICT) enthusiast, Muhammad Nizam Ismail, said the plan by the opposition was just an attempt to pull the wool over the people's eyes because it knew the service was already made available in most areas.
Read more: MY: Free WiFi: Government Provides While Opposition Continues Making Promises
EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the commission would first have to scrutinize the system before the implementation.
“Although the system was capable of detecting multiple voting and ensuring transparency, it needed to be scrutinised before being implemented because it would be very costly,” Abdul Aziz said in a statement.
Covering all 96 entry points, this security effort is meant to register and monitor foreigners from their arrival until departure, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
In parliament, Yassin explained that foreigners will have their thumbprints taken and processed within 20 seconds upon arrival at the immigration check-point.
He said although the system was capable of detecting multiple voting and ensuring transparency, it needed to be scrutinised before being implemented because it would be very costly.
"However, this does not mean that the existing system is no longer relevant, safe or transparent because despite allegations of multiple voting cases, none of the claims resulted in an election petition or had been brought to court so far," he said in an interview with Bernama and RTM here recently.
Read more: MY: Election Commission Mulls Possibility Of Using Biometric System
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein when stressing this said the other two points are to work with the counterparts in the home countries of arriving tourists and the upgrading of equipment.
He said while it was vital to use modern technology and equipment to detect any possible threat especially with the challenges of the new borderless world, personnel manning entry points must also uphold a high level of integrity since they work closely with staff stationed at airports and seaports nationwide.
Read more: MY: Biometric system: Ministry to focus on three focal points