COMMENT | The Election Commission has called for new and eligible Malaysians overseas to register as postal voters before the dissolution of Parliament.

However, Bersih notes that while the right to vote is accessible to many Malaysians overseas, the same right is not extended to the bulk of Malaysians living in Singapore, southern Thailand, Brunei and Kalimantan, even though these citizens form the majority of voters living overseas.

Restricted access to the right to vote

The voters excluded from this category will need to purchase a flight ticket and apply for leave in order to come back and vote in person.

Without a firm date for the general election, many will not be able to purchase their tickets and apply for leave ahead of time, and even then, many may not be able to afford to return in time for the elections – especially if they earn a small wage.

Bersih supports the call for the EC to fix the election date as soon as possible to allow voters to make their informed choices.

Lack of a transparent process

There is an urgent need to address the lack a transparent and accountable process with regard to overseas voting. There is simply not enough information provided to assist voters overseas.

Just last week, Malaysian embassies overseas were not informed of this development ahead of time to prepare or advise overseas voters.

Without the correct information, voters will be confused and unable to make full use of their rights.

The EC must ensure that proper discussions and instructions are carried out by the Malaysian embassies and consulates abroad, without which voters will be operating in a haze of confusion.

Overseas election observation

Bersih has also raised the issue of election observers in the overseas voting process several times over the years.

Taking into account the lack of election observers and the questionable integrity of the EC, Bersih has urged the EC, many times, to implement procedures for election observers overseas to protect voter secrecy and the security of the voting ballots.

Need for advance overseas voting

Without advance overseas voting (AOV) in place, the issue of electoral observation becomes extremely difficult.

AOV is needed to assist in addressing concerns of vote tampering and the security of ballots.

It will also ensure that all the ballots are counted, as postal ballots may be delayed in the mail, or voters may not know the return address of the polling station the ballots will be sent to.

In cases where the ballots received by post are incomplete or ruined, these situations would also be overcome with AOV.

Additionally, the EC must also take into account voters in large countries who may need to travel hundreds of kilometres to access a polling station at an embassy or consulate.

As such, the embassies may need to make preparations ahead of time to ensure that polling booths are set up in convenient locations.

This is a practice that is not revolutionary, but has been done effectively by other countries, such as the Philippines.

Shirking responsibility to ensure votes received on time

The EC’s “hands-off” attitude with regard to the collection of votes and ensuring they return in a timely manner to the counting stations is deplorable.

The act of passing on the responsibility to Pos Malaysia when the reach and resources of Wisma Putra - and by extension the foreign embassies - are better equipped at coordinating the smooth and timely collection and return of ballots to Malaysia via diplomatic courier, makes no sense.

This only serves to penalise overseas voters, as there is no guarantee that the votes will reach the station before 5pm on polling day.

The integrity of the election is at stake as the EC is tasked to ensure access, security and delivery of votes, which seems to be of little concern to the EC.

The EC is meant to make life easier for voters, not more difficult.

Information needs to be shared to be accessible. The EC needs to send out clear and precise guidelines on how to vote, what documents are needed and what measures are in place to ensure the safety and timely return of the votes to the respective counting stations in Malaysia.

The EC must clarify the process and perform its function in a comprehensive and responsible manner.

If the commissioners are unable to perform their responsibilities, they should resign in order to protect the integrity of the commission and the election process.

Register now

Bersih urges eligible Malaysians living overseas to ensure that they are registered as postal voters as soon as possible, since dissolution of Parliament may be announced at any time.

The necessary forms (Form 1b) and the guidelines can be found on the EC’s website.

Completed forms need to be sent to the EC via:

• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: 03-8881 0424/ 0399/ 0394/ 0386/ 0369 or
• Post: Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia, Menara SPR, No 2 Jalan P2T, Presint 2, Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62100 Putrajaya [Attn: Unit Pengurusan Undi Pos Luar Negara]).

Malaysian voters who fall under the category of overseas absent voters, such as civil servants and students studying overseas, will need to ensure that their voter status has been changed from “ordinary voter” to “absent voter.”

They must also ensure that their records contain their latest address at the nearest Malaysian embassy. They must bring along their original ICs and passports for identification.

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BERSIH is a coalition of NGOs seeking to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.