GE14 | The Election Commission's (EC) announcement that polling day has been fixed for May 9 has caused an uproar.

Immediate reactions showed opposition politicians, civil society leaders and netizens alike questioning why the election is being held on a Wednesday.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar questioned the rationale of having the election on a working day.

“Oh caretaker Prime Minister Najib Razak. Please discuss with your EC chief,” she tweeted.

Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman urged people to take leave on that day to vote.

“It has been announced that polling day will be on a working day (Wednesday) - mid-week. This is BN's tactic to ensure that outstation voters do not come back to vote.

“Every vote counts!” Syed Saddiq (photo) reminded all voters.

Amanah strategy director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad described the EC's announcement as a “subversion of a free and fair election”.

“Polling day for 14th general election on 9th May, a Wednesday... A working day! So caretaker government must announce May 9 as a public holiday. Please.”

Social activist Marina Mahathir also provided her take on the matter.

“Well! Still trying to make it difficult to vote because you know you’re going to lose? 11 days campaigning and voting on a weekday? And you think this makes you legitimate?” she tweeted.

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Former minister Rafidah Aziz, in her response to Malaysiakini, predicted how there will be “many problems”, citing outstation voters.

“Especially from Sabah and Sarawak voting in the peninsular and vice versa. They cannot possibly vote.

“They need to fly in at their own expense and then get to their respective polling stations to vote. Then rush back.

“They need more than one day. They need to take extra leave. Business and commercial entities will be disrupted as the day is a working day.

As such, she could not help but wonder whether there was a motive to reduce voter turnout, especially among those most likely to vote for Pakatan Harapan candidates.

Meanwhile, Parti Warisan Sabah president Mohamad Shafie Apdal called the decision “grossly unfair” as the weekday date could put at risk the votes of up to 300,000 Sabahans who are working in the Klang Valley.

He said those Sabahans who are registered voters would be forced to give the polls a miss.

“In GE13, because polling was on a Saturday, some 100,000 voters were successfully brought back to Sabah to cast their vote before returning.

“Whose convenience is the EC looking after; the people or the Barisan Nasional,” he said in a statement.

As such Shafie said the government must declare May 9 a public holiday to give each voter a chance to cast their vote.

Also calling for May 9 to be declared a public holiday is lawyer Tommy Thomas, claiming it was “Barisan’s objective” to inconvenience voters who have to travel to cast their votes.

“The popular belief for all our elections is that the higher the voter turnout, the better the opposition fares.”

Below are some of the other responses: