I read with disgust the frontpage article 'Don't Blame Us' in The Star (June 14), in which the Elections Commission chairman Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman attempted to blame other government agencies for his inefficiency and failure to ensure a fair elections in 1999.

If the other government agencies had hampered his ability to carry out his job before the 1999 elections, he should have voiced up then, not now when he has been exposed for having a lackadaisical and unprofessional attitude.

I was a first-time voter in the last elections and that first voting exercise convinced me that the Elections Commission was partial to the government and deliberately denying the people of this country a fair election.

When I first approached the voter registration counter in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur after checking whatever registers there were on the counter, I was told that my name was not on the list.

I expressed shock and told the officer that I had checked the Elections Commission's website and I was sure that I was listed to vote. The first officer then asked me to go to another counter. At the second counter, the same antic took place and I was again informed that my name was not there.

I was irritated and firmly told the second officer that I had checked the website and that I was entitled to vote. Upon seeing my anger and dissatisfaction, the second officer then whipped out a register from below the counter.

This time my name was located and I was given a slip to proceed with voting. When I got to the personal voting booth, I found a name card of a BN candidate. The Elections Commission is supposed to maintain an independent stature and so any voting booth must be free of any political literature/material.

Another circumstance where the Elections Commission had failed to carry out its job professionally was when there had been a withdrawal of a candidate or party and the voting slip was not updated accordingly to reflect the actual choice the people had.

The vote slip issuer could have canceled out the choice that was no longer available but alas, the Elections Commission did not take its job seriously. A real life example - the Aulong constituency in Perak during the 1999 elections.

How can anybody do a good job without seriously understanding one's job duties and taking the responsibility to carry it out objectively, without fear or favor?

The Elections Commission's duties, among others is to ensure a fair election for the people of Malaysia, and not to help any one particular party win.

I call upon its chairman to be honourable and apologise to the nation instead of pointing his finger at others.