THE Election Commission and the government came under fire yesterday for not using indelible ink worth RM2.4 million in the March 8 polls.

Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) said the issue was compounded by the fact that the decision was based on rumours and hearsay.

"We have a food crisis now. Datuk Bung Mukhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) has complained that there are schools in his constituency without electricity and water and here we are happily wasting RM2.4 million."

On Tuesday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, in a written reply to Fong, had said police investigations had determined that fears of people buying such ink to create confusion were unfounded.