There is a perception problem among the people that has given the Election Commission (EC) a bad image, said its chief Mohd Hashim Abdullah.

"The current perception portrays the EC as if we are doing things to help certain parties win.

"So we have to do something about this and provide explanations to them (the public)," he said, as reported by Sinar Harian today.

In order to combat this perception issue, he said that media and social media can play huge roles in clarifying matters regarding the EC.

The EC is also producing videos about the methods and processes in an election to raise awareness among the public, he said.

"Among the examples of perceptions that have arisen, there are those who claimed we changed the voting box during the election.

"But how can we change the voting box when the representatives of the candidates are at the polling place, and the voting box themselves are opened to the representatives first," he said.

That is why, he said, the EC has currently prioritised spreading awareness about the voting system in the country.

On a separate issue, Hashim said that speculation about the dates of the next general election (GE) is something that happens frequently whenever there is an upcoming election.

"For the EC, it is very simple, that is whenever the Dewan Rakyat is dissolved, then we can start our meetings and discuss this and choose suitable dates for the GE," he said.

The EC are just as in the dark as the rest of the rakyat about when the next GE will be held, he added.

"As long as we do not get a letter from the Dewan Rakyat, no one will know."

For now, he said, the rakyat can only predict the situation based on their own opinions.

Hashim also expressed concern that about 4.2 million qualified citizens have yet to register as voters.

This is a worrying matter, he said, as it is a huge number comprising mostly youths.

"What worries the EC now is the young generation who do not register to vote and also the generation who do not come out to vote.

"Voting is an important responsibility to the country but why are so many people not doing it?" he questioned.

Previous reports have shown that even though 40 percent of qualified voters in the country is made up of the youths, many of them have not registered.

The EC chief asked the public not to link the EC with politics in the country, and called for people to go out and vote regardless of which party they disagree with.

"Besides that, we at the EC would like to stress that if the rakyat supports whichever party, that is not our concern.

"Our main concern is the number of voters who go out to vote," Hashim said.