PUTRAJAYA – Caretaker education minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin has proposed that the Election Committee (EC) consider holding polling day for the 15th general election (GE15) during a school holiday, particularly on a Saturday.
He said if the public were to cast their votes on a normal school day, it would inconvenience schools and students as many classrooms would be utilised as polling stations.
“Normally, elections are held on a weekend. We hope it will be the same this time so as not to affect school operations.
“To make it easier for everyone, Saturday would be the best option, like in previous elections, because some states have school sessions on Sundays,” he said when met at the flag-off of the 2022 Le Tour de Langkawi Stage 3 at Putrajaya today.
The Bersatu vice-president was commenting on the EC statement yesterday when it announced it will hold a meeting on October 20 to set dates for GE15, including candidate nomination day, early voting, and polling day.
The last school holidays session of the year is set to be between December 10 and December 31, which could possibly be more than 60 days after caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob dissolved Parliament on Monday.
Radzi said the Education Ministry has held discussions with the EC regarding the use of schools as polling stations.
He added that the setting up of the stations needs to be done at least a day before the public casts their votes.
As such, he has faith that the EC would make the best decision.
Meanwhile, Radzi also highlighted that Perikatan Nasional (PN) is in the midst of evaluating its candidate names and will be ready to announce them after the seats are distributed between its component parties.
He said PN’s leadership is carefully finalising the list and vows to choose the best candidates who could help bring the coalition to victory.
However, he declined to comment on whether he will contest in the general election and said he would accept any decisions from Bersatu. – The Vibes, October 13, 2022
