Mandatory voting potentially 'unhealthy' for democracy - Wan Junaidi
PARLIAMENT | Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has labelled mandatory voting as a potentially “unhealthy” move for the nation’s democracy.
Wan Junaidi commented on the matter in Parliament today, in response to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) on whether the government would implement such a measure...
PARLIAMENT | Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has labelled mandatory voting as a potentially “unhealthy” move for the nation’s democracy.
Wan Junaidi commented on the matter in Parliament today, in response to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) on whether the government would implement such a measure.
He claimed that the idea was discussed with the Election Commission (EC) numerous times.
“What we are discussing has other implications. In the cities, mandatory voting can be implemented.
"In more rural areas, where there are issues with communication, we face potential obstacles and mistakes where fewer voters may come out to vote.
“Even if there is a good intention (behind the idea), it inevitably brings about something ‘unhealthy’ in society’s practice of democracy,” he said.
The minister added that while it was a good proposal, introducing compulsory voting still required further research.
Last year, Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) mooted making voting mandatory, with all those who skip casting their ballots subject to punishment.
Additionally, he had said that by-elections tended to have low turnouts too, with three by-elections after 2018 showing less than 50 percent of constituents voting.
Johor saw a relatively low voter turnout in the recent state election of 54.92 percent involving 1,426,573 voters.
Education, other ways to vote
When asked if the government plans to introduce political education in school, Wan Junaidi responded that the government’s approach is to deliver roadshows at secondary schools targeting SPM and STPM students as well as higher education institutions.
This would be to educate the youth on their responsibilities as a voter.
Earlier today, Wan Junaidi also said that he had raised the idea of postal voting and electronic voting with the EC - which is still under discussion with the commission.
He noted, for example, the many East Malaysians working and living outside of their home state who face obstacles in returning to vote in their constituencies.
Some 22 countries have implemented mandatory voting, including Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Belgium, and several Latin American nations.
