Up to 2,270,002 people, a majority of them Malays, registered as voters between 2008 and 2011, the Dewan Negara was told today.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Liew Vui Keong said 155,420 registered in 2008; 279,270 in 2009; 826,462 in 2010 and 1,008,850 in 2011.  

He was replying to Senator Ng Fook Heng who had asked the prime minister to give the racial breakdown of the people who registered as voters from 2008.

Liew said that in 2008, Malays comprised 82,309 of the new voters or 53 percent, Chinese 29.4 percent and Indians 8.1 percent.  

In 2009, Malays made up 187,828 of the new voters or 67.3 percent, Chinese 19.8 percent and Sarawak bumiputeras 4.8 percent while in 2010, Malays comprised 466,137 of the new voters or 56.4 percent, Chinese 27 percent and Indians 6.6 percent, he said.  

In 2011, the breakdown was 611,498 or 60.6 percent Malays, 22 percent Chinese and 6.7 percent Indians.   

Liew said statistics of the Election Commission showed that Selangor registered the highest number of 165,222 voters during that period, followed by Johor (124,240), Perak (96,710), Sabah (86,927), Kedah (84,704), Kelantan (69,344), Penang (64,029), Sarawak (63,305), Kuala Lumpur (61,040), Pahang (59,639), Terengganu (45,190), Negri Sembilan (42,009), Malacca (31,827), Perlis (9,881), Labuan (2,863) and Putrajaya (1,920).

- Bernama