Kuala Lumpur : A military court in Malaysia Monday ordered an air force officer, who told the media that indelible ink used in the 2013 general elections was ineffective, to be sacked with immediate effect, a media report said.
The judge said that Major Zaidi Ahmad breached the military protocol by making the media statement, a BBC report said, adding that the officer was dismissed under Section 89 of the Armed Forces Act.
The opposition coalition claims the use of faulty ink combined with fraud cost them victory over Malaysia’s governing coalition in May 2013.
The coalition has been in power for more than five decades.
The military court dropped other charges against the officer but found him guilty of not going through military channels to voice his grievances. Major Zaidi said the charges against him were politically motivated.
Following the election, there were several reports claiming the ink used at polling stations could be easily washed off.
Malaysia’s ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s United Malays National Organisation (UNMO) won nine out of 12 states in the 2013 elections, but with a share of the popular vote below that of the opposition coalition under Anwar Ibrahim.