The Sarawak Bersih committee today submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission (EC) in the state to allow East Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia to cast ballots as absentee voters.

According to the committee, there are an estimated 150,000 voters from East Malaysia residing in Peninsular Malaysia, either due to study or work.

"It is no secret that due to the prohibitive costs of travel, Sarawakians normally reserve their paid leave and finances to come back home to see family during festive seasons, like Christmas and/or Gawai.

"We support the call for this group of people, i.e., civilians ‘out-of-region’, to opt-in as absentee voters, as it would go a long way to boost the turnout for Sarawak, which in 2013 was the lowest in the country, at 75 percent," it said in a statement.

They added that it is the constitutional duty of the EC to realise the voting rights of all Malaysians, including Sarawakians.

"Our reform proposal is meant not only to give an opportunity to Sarawakians living in West Malaysia to exercise their constitutional rights, but also West Malaysians who are working, studying or living in Sarawak and Sabah to exercise their rights in the next general election," it said.

Additionally, the committee also emphasised the need for automatic voter registration given the large number of unregistered voters.

In the memorandum, Sarawak Bersih noted that they are seeking a meeting with the EC to discuss the above.