YOURSAY 'Let's have RM500 tax per vote. Obviously, the EC is just looking for reasons to stop overseas Malaysians from voting.'

Bersih 2.0 slams EC's 'no tax, no vote' proposal

Mangodurian: What does paying tax has to do with the fundamental democratic right to vote? Even a penniless beggar has the right to vote (not to mention the Filipino and Indonesian new citizens).

It is the law that there is no double taxation for expatriates, and it a fair law since you have already paid tax somewhere and by being overseas, you are also not using the facilities provided by your own country.

Armageddon: Fair enough if Election Commission (EC) wants to follow the United States, but the US also does not have postal votes for members of its armed forces.

Timothy: Doesn't every Malaysian has the right to vote? If the EC wants to have 'no tax, no vote' policy, why not also have 'more tax, more votes' for all Malaysians? Let's have a RM500 tax per vote.

Obviously, the EC is just looking for reasons to stop overseas Malaysians from voting. Apa pun boleh !

Clearwater: Just come out and say it, EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof - that the EC will give the right to vote only to those who will vote BN. Is that what you are getting at?

Multi Racial: The problem with most of our government officials is that whatever they do, it seems intended to please BN, particularly Umno.

It is clear in our constitution that every citizen is eligible to vote. The job of the Election Commission is to facilitate that.

The excuse given is that even the US imposes such a requirement. If you want to compare with the US, then why not follow 100 percent of what US does?

Allow us to vote for the prime minister directly. Make it mandatory for the prime minister candidates to have open debates. The date for every general election is fixed and the incumbent cannot call for early election. And many more.

Anonymous: Everyone pays taxes, EC. We all pay when we buy food and supplies. It may be a small amount, but we all pay.

Queenie: There is this belief that overseas Malaysians are, in the main, pro-opposition. The EC chairperson, who has to please his political masters, therefore has to throw some spanners into the works.

As for MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek's statement earlier backing this idea, these days nobody pays much attention to him so he has to put in his two cents worth to draw some attention.

He should crawl back to his room (not the same one where some action took place) in Johor and keep his trap shut.

By Election Fan: Are you sure, EC? There are millions of Malaysians who are not paying taxes despite staying in the country.

Please do not allow the civil servants who are not able to make it into the taxable bracket, please delete from the electoral rolls all the makcik and pakcik living in the kampung that do not even know what income tax is.

Please use the taxpayers data from IRB (Inland Revenue Board) as the basis for the voters list.

Reborn: The issue is not about paying tax. If you have no tax to pay, it is clearly stated by the Inland Revenue Board that you are not taxable. This is different from those who are taxable but do not pay taxes in Malaysia.

KeyPohJi: This is the worst ever think-out-of-box idea to date in this ICT era. This EC bunch treat the rakyat as idiots.

They are still fiddling around without seriously working through the parliamentary select committee's recommendations and implementing them before the 13th general election. Hopeless.

Maplesyrup: The EC's job is to administer elections and not to come up with ideas to prevent citizens from exercising their right to vote.

Leon Chan: You cannot add condition(s) to the right to vote in the Malaysian constitution. Period. If you are a Malaysian, you are eligible to vote.

Why is EC wasting its time thinking of ways to make it difficult for Malaysians to cast their vote? It is so wrong. If one does not pay tax, that person can be dealt with through other existing laws.

Quigonbond: Actually, I'd like to see Parliament accept the idea that if you don't pay income tax above a certain threshold, you're not entitled to vote, regardless of whether you're in Malaysia or otherwise.

It will mean only gainfully employed or otherwise self-employed Malaysians will vote. This group is likely the best informed, and not by BN propaganda. And we don't have to venture a guess who they'd vote for.

The only problem is when BN is defeated, the non-voting group can be incited to rebel. Hence, curtailing the right to vote, coming from no less the EC itself, is not only embarrassing to Malaysia, but downright outrageous.

Mat Malaysia: Abdul Aziz, I have a better idea. Why don't you bar all those who are members of the opposition parties from voting too?

Using your warped logic, these miscreants are obviously not loyal to the government in power, so why should they have the right to vote?

Borg Kinaulu: For a moment there, the headline got me all excited. Imagine that only taxpayers can vote. No more Felda votes. No more RM50 per vote from longhouses, much fewer postal votes since most military/police/Rela people don't pay income tax.

I mean, wow, a surer way to a change of government there is none. But alas, the EC proves once again that it only serves Umno's interests.

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