KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here today granted leave to the judicial review application against the decision of the Election Commission (EC) and the Malaysian government for barring a voter from casting a ballot in the Johor election in March.
Bersih said in a statement that this is an important issue to be taken by the court in order to litigate the EC’s role as it is fully responsible for conducting elections in Malaysia.
The leave for the judicial review application was heard this morning at the Kuala Lumpur High Court and was attended by lawyers from AmerBon and the AGC.
The plaintiff is a voter in Johor who was prevented from participating in the state election by EC election workers because he was still under home quarantine for Covid-19, despite his self-test showing he was negative.
Representing the plaintiff, New Sin Yew in his submission argued that Article 119 (1) of the federal constitution states that a person may vote unless ineligible for the reasons stated in Article 119 (3) and related laws such as the Elections Regulations (Conduct of Elections) 1981.
Case mention is fixed for July 6.
Earlier this month, Bersih said it helped voter Tamileswaaran Ravi Kumar in filing the court application, adding that EC has no power to deny voters their right to vote on the grounds of an infectious disease. – The Vibes, June 22, 2022
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