Election Commission (EC) chief Mohd Hashim Abdullah has said that extending the privilege to East Malaysians to vote from Peninsular Malaysia and vice-versa would mean having to extend that privilege to the rest of the country as well.

"We have to remember, if we want to give this privilege (to East Malaysians), we have to give it to all.

"What about people from Kelantan, like me? What about people from Kedah or Terengganu?" Hashim said when asked to respond to Bersih's request on this.

Bersih had previously urged the EC to implement reforms to allow an estimated 150,000 registered East Malaysians voters residing in Peninsular Malaysia to vote from where they are and vice-versa.

They argued that the high expense of journeying back to home constituencies results in lower voter turnouts for Sabah and Sarawak.

Two-thirds needed

However, Hashim said that the commission has always encouraged people to register to vote where they are currently residing.

"But you all don't want to, because you want to go back to your hometown to vote," he said.

Questioned about the possibility of absentee voting to make it easier for such voters, he said implementing that would require amending the Federal Constitution, which would need a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Right now, that is not feasible as no party or coalition has a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

"We are moving towards e-voting as requested, but what we are doing now is (those jobs that are) critical, who cannot go back (to vote).

"These people, they can actually go back. They can take leave. (Those with critical jobs) cannot take leave," he explained.

Voting secrecy assured

The Sarawak Bersih committee has also submitted a memorandum to the state EC to allow East Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia to cast ballots as absentee voters.

Meanwhile, Hashim promised that all ballots will be kept secret and that even he would not know how anyone voted.

"It is up to them (voters) to vote for whoever they want. We do not oversee that.

"Whoever they vote for, no one knows. Even my own wife's vote, I would not know," Hashim said.

Previously, former Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan (photo) had expressed concern about whether one's vote is really secret in Malaysia, after an encounter with a Uber driver.

She recounted the story in which the Uber driver, who is a government servant, had said that he has to vote for the ruling party because he was worried his vote is not secret.