Bersih: Improve voting access for East Malaysians in peninsula

Summary

• Bersih urges EC to improve voting access for East Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia.

• Data shows over 200,000 Sabahans live outside their home state, making voting difficult due to travel costs and limited flights.

• Bersih suggests "mega polling centres" in the peninsula for East Malaysian voters to cast ballots early.

The Election Commission (EC) has been urged to enhance voting accessibility for Sabahans and Sarawakians residing in Peninsular Malaysia, particularly ahead of the next state and general elections.

Bersih chairperson Faisal Abdul Aziz said data showed over 200,000 individuals from Sabah live outside their home state, most of them in the peninsula.

Citing a recent survey conducted at Universiti Sains Malaysia, he noted that only 20 out of more than 1,000 students from Sabah and Sarawak had returned home to vote.

“With limited flights and expensive airfares, not only students, but also working adults find it difficult to afford the airfare or make the necessary arrangements to return to vote,” said Faisal (above), according to the News Straits Times.

“Based on the past Sabah state election, the voter turnout was around 56 percent. Voters aged 18 to 30 made up 53 percent of the electorate.

“If they do not turn out to vote, overall turnout could fall below 50 percent. What is the point of having a government elected by less than half the electorate? That would be too much of a minority,” he reportedly said.

Faisal was speaking during Bersih’s courtesy visit to the Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) committee members in Kota Kinabalu. Also present were SJA president Mariah Doksil and adviser Muguntan Vanar.

The 17th Sabah state election must be held by Dec 7 at the latest this year, while the 13th Sarawak state election must be held by April 15 next year.

No rush

Yesterday, Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor said there was no rush to set a date for dissolving the state legislative assembly, hinting that an announcement could be made after the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan) general assembly at the end of next month.

"Not yet, we will have our general assembly meeting at the end of July first,” he reportedly said after officiating the Gagasan Rakyat Sulaman division’s annual conference at Dewan Seri Sulaman on Sunday.

According to the Borneo Post, the GRS president and Sulaman division chief was responding to questions from reporters about the possibility of the state assembly being dissolved at the end of July.

In March, Bersih proposed that the Sabah government announce the date of the state assembly’s dissolution earlier to give voters more time to make travel and voting arrangements.

Faisal today reiterated Bersih’s call for “mega polling centres” in the peninsula to enable East Malaysian voters to cast their ballots early without having to fly home.

He reportedly added that the proposal had been presented to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof, and the EC for further consideration.

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