Ballot papers, documents used in GE destroyed
Ballot papers and other documents used in the May General Election were destroyed at the Tuas South Incineration Plant on Saturday.
Candidates from political parties, who opted to witness the entire process, arrived as early as 8am. The process ended at noon.
Jurong GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Lee and Sembwang GRC MP Ong Teng Koon represented the People’s Action Party, while Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang and other Aljunied GRC MPs and the party's NCMPs were present.
Others who came were Hazel Poa, Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss and Steve Chia of the National Solidarity Party as well as James Gomez of the Singapore Democratic Party.
They were first led to the Supreme Court’s vault around 8:05am where the ballot boxes haven been stored for six months following the election.
According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, once ballots have been counted during the election, they must be sealed and safely stored in the court for six months to ensure the secrecy of the vote. After half a year, they must be destroyed unless otherwise directed by the president.
Around 8:30am, the boxes containing the documents were wrapped in plastic sheets, loaded into separate trucks and sent to the incineration plant. The candidates, together with Returning Officer Yam Ah Mee, witnessed the destruction process.
In a light-hearted moment, members of the political parties posed for pictures and took their own photos of the day's happenings. MP for Hougang Yaw Shin Leong, who also witnessed the destruction of ballots after the 2006 GE, said he is “satisfied” with the process.
“The entire process is orderly, and we saw that the ballot boxes were sealed to ensure that the votes remain confidential,” he said.
