Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has lashed out at Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz for his avowal in the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysians living abroad do not deserve the right to the postal vote as they do not love the country.

"His statement is most insensitive, hurtful and shows utter disrespect to our fellow Malaysians' personal choice to live abroad, whether for work or studies," Kok said in a statement yesterday.

On Wednesday, Nazri said that only civil servants, students overseas and their spouses may vote in absentia , claiming that they were exempted from not being physically present on the grounds that they were working and not voluntarily absent and were overseas temporarily, in response to Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan's question on the voting rights of Malaysians abroad .

NONE Kok ( left ) said that Nazri should recognise that in today's globalised world many Malaysians will travel abroad to pursue what they perceive to be a better life, higher income and brighter future for their families and themselves.

She reiterated that it was shameful of Nazri to hurl such slander at them, thus exposing his ignorance of their contributions to the country's economy.

BN causing citizens to emigrate

DAP Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong, on his part, said that Malaysians overseas should not be marginalised and deprived of their constitutional right to vote and described Nazri's statement as being irresponsible and out of touch with reality.

"Their (Malaysians abroad) right to vote is enshrined in the federal NONE constitution and it is the responsibility of the government and the election commission to make it possible for Malaysians to exercise their legitimate democratic rights," Liew said, adding that both entities must speed up implementation of postal voting at all Malaysian missions.

"Malaysians abroad must be given the chance to exercise their duty and right as Malaysian citizens to vote for their choice of government," he added.

Liew ( right ) said the flood of Malaysian fleeing the country see no hope under the authoritarian rule of the Barisan Nasional, not because they do not love the country.

He also noted that a recent parliamentary reply revealed that 140,000 Malaysians had left the country in 2007 and, between March 2008 and August 2009, the figure ballooned to 305,000.