KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (Pontian-BN) has urged the government to make voting compulsory and penalise those who fail to cast their ballots.
Addressing Parliament today, the Umno lawmaker questioned those who do not practise their constitutional right to vote despite general elections being held only once every five years.
With 22 countries already making it mandatory for their citizens to vote, he said, it is high time Malaysia does the same.
“Once every five years, and you still don’t go out to vote? ‘Apa ke benda ni’ (What is this)? It’s not like you have to vote once every month,” he said when debating the 12th Malaysia Plan.
“During the 14th general election, of the 14.9 million registered voters, turnout was only 82.3%, which is about 12.2 million (people). The other 2.7 million people ‘tidur ke’ (asleep)?”
He pointed to several by-elections with a low turnout, including 2018’s Balakong vote (43%), Seri Setia (44%) and Sg Kandis (49.4%), and the contest for the Penanti state seat in 2009 (46%).
Similarly, said Ahmad, the Port Dickson by-election three years ago won by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim saw a poor turnout of 58.2%.
“I suggest that those who don’t cast their ballots be imposed a fine of RM100 or RM200, or perhaps, bar them from renewing their driving licences.”
The government is in the midst of implementing automatic voter registration, in line with the Undi18 push, which will see over five million new voters in the next elections, due in under two years. –The Vibes, September 30, 2021
