Malaysian citizens who are residing overseas should be allowed access to absentee voting, says the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform in its interim report that will be tabled in Parliament today.

NONE “The committee recommends that the Election Commission (EC) takes the necessary measures to expand its category of absentee voters to include all Malaysian citizens who qualify,” the report read.

This was despite an earlier memorandum by the MCA opposing absentee voting for all Malaysian citizens during the PSC’s public hearing in Kuala Lumpur.

At present, only civil servants and their spouses as well as students overseas are allowed to access absentee voting.

In its report, the panel also called for early voting instead of postal voting for military personnel and their spouses as well as for police officers.

However, postal voting is still allowed on an application basis for military and police officers, slthough spouses will not be entitled to such a right.

The report added that early voting should also be extended to Election Commission officers who are on duty as well as nurses, doctors, and journalists.

‘Indelible ink can be implemented’

“The committe also recommends that the EC allow voters not in their constituency (whose constiuencies are in Sabah and Sarawak but are residing in peninsular Malaysia and vice versa) to vote for their respective constituency without returning there on election day,” the report said.

azlan It added that this can be done by setting a central location by zone where such voters can vote together.

Furthermore, it concurred with attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail that constitutional amendments were not required for the use of indelible ink in elections and called on the EC to implement it in the 13th general election, one of the long-held demands by electoral reform group Bersih.

“For this recommendation, the committee finds that only amendments required are to the election rules without the need of constitutional amendments. The EC must immediately implement the change and enforce it.”

Among the other recommendations are:

  • Serial number should only be printed on counterfoil and not on ballot papers to ensure a vote is secret
  • Arrangement of voting areas should be done in such a way that voting agents are able to identity the voter
  • Citizens aged 21 and above should be allowed to mark the ballot papers for disabled voters (eg blind)
  • Request for recount must be done at central voting centre if difference of highest and second highest vote is 2 percent or less.
  • Marking on ballot papers must be standardised with an 'X' on the right side of the ballot paper
  • EC must explain its independence according to law
  • Objection process on nomination day be abolished
  • Time period for candidates to withdraw after nomination day be abolished
  • Relevant authorities should ensure EC has sufficient human and financial resource to ensure its effectiveness to enforcing election laws and reducing reliance on third parties.

The 115-page interim report is a compilation of two public hearings held in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu by the PSC and is expected to be tabled in Parliament later today.

 

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