NGOs urge Anwar, EC to allow postal voting for Sabahans in peninsula

Summary

• Bersih, Engage, Rose, Tindak, and Projek Sama call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Election Commission to permit postal voting for Sabahans residing in Peninsular Malaysia.

• The NGOs say Malaysians deserve an explanation if reforms are rejected, urging political parties to pledge postal voting rights in their manifestos.

• They urge the EC to expand voting accessibility and detail plans for early or postal voting, including for voters in hospitals and prisons.

A group of NGOs urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Election Commission (EC) to support proposals for Sabahans living in the peninsula to vote by postal ballot in the upcoming state election.

The NGOs said an explanation must be given if these proposals are rejected, as all Malaysians, especially those from Sabah, have the right to know why.

“If the EC cannot deliver this important reform in the upcoming state election, we urge all parties which contest in the state election to promise in their manifesto their commitment to demand the federal government to realise the right of Sabah out-of-state voters to vote with early or postal vote,” they said in a statement today.

The statement was released by Bersih, Engage, Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (Rose), Persatuan Bertindak Pilihan Raya Bebas dan Saksama (Tindak), and Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama).

On Oct 9, United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) honorary president and Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau urged the EC to allow postal votes in the Sabah election, in a move to overcome systemic barriers faced by East Malaysians living in the peninsula.

Echoing his sentiments, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung highlighted that 400,000 Sabahans reside in Peninsular Malaysia, and they could be excluded from the electoral process.

At present, there are two types of postal voting in Malaysia under EC laws, which fall under Categories A and B. Under the latter provision, Malaysians living abroad are allowed to be registered as postal voters.

However, Category A postal voting for those in the country is only open to five groups - namely EC members, election workers, media personnel who are covering the election, and police and military personnel who cannot turn up to vote during the designated early voting day.

Commenting further, the four NGOs expressed hopes for the EC to introduce early voting or expand postal voting for out-of-area voters in the upcoming Sabah election.

“If it cannot be implemented this time, the EC should provide a clear timeline and roadmap towards its realisation,” they added.

Guaranteeing the right to vote

They also told the EC to immediately detail its medium- and long-term plans to improve voting accessibility.

This includes voters in hospitals and prisons, the expansion of postal voting facilities, as well as the exploration of other transparent and inclusive methods.

“The right to vote must be fully guaranteed to all citizens regardless of their location.

“Any effort to facilitate the people in exercising their democratic rights must be supported and strengthened with principles of transparency, fairness, and equality,” they said.

In previous elections, critics have noted discrepancies, including a delay in the arrival of overseas postal voting ballots, leading to NGOs and volunteers offering to deliver thousands of ballots from abroad during the previous general election.

On Oct 6, Sabah caretaker chief minister Hajiji Noor announced the dissolution of the state legislative assembly, paving the way for the 17th state election.

The EC will meet on Oct 16 to fix the dates for nomination and polling.

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