KUALA LUMPUR – The Election Commission (EC) should allow voters who work or study outside their constituencies to become postal voters, said Shah Alam city councillor member Muhammad Shakir Ameer.
In a statement, Shakir advised the EC to consider postal voting options for outstation voters, adding that it should learn from weaknesses during the 15th general election (GE15) and make the election process more efficient.
“With separate elections being held by September for Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan, and Terengganu, it is essential that the voters outside of their constituencies are given a chance to vote via post,” said the Shah Alam DAP member.
“The EC should understand that these voters have borne the cost of their travels during GE15 and the recent Chinese New Year celebration. Aidilfitri celebrations are also coming this May.”
He added that the proposal is also beneficial for Sabah and Sarawak voters, as it will reduce the cost of flying just to return and vote for the next state election.
With automatic registration, Shakir said the number of voters has drastically increased by 21 million, and will be a logistical burden during voter management on voting day.
He then provided a suggestion where the EC can utilise available logistics establishments to streamline postal vote management.
“I personally witnessed the congestion when voters lined up in the Monterez and Bukit Subang districts for the Shah Alam Parliament in GE15,” he said.
“Apart from Pos Malaysia, there are various other logistics companies in Malaysia involved in e-commerce that could facilitate the EC in managing postal votes.
“After all, this involves postal votes between states and is not as complicated as managing votes from abroad,” he added.
Shakir then opined the EC should be a facilitator to ensure that as many Malaysians can vote in the next state elections, if it is truly committed to following its vision and mission.
The EC’s vision, he highlighted, is to elevate election management institutions to sovereign the nation’s democracy; while its mission is to empower efficient, transparent, and fair election management based on the constitution and law; and to strengthen the people’s trust.
As a DAP and Pakatan Harapan activist, Shakir urged other members of the party and coalition to play a role in ensuring that the “green wave” during the last GE15, which he alleged was caused by PAS’ slanders, is stopped immediately – before it “spreads like a toxic disease that will damage the development of the country”. – The Vibes, February 14, 2023
