GE15: Provide postal voting for Sabahans, Sarawakians in peninsula, EC urged

KUCHING: The Election Commission (EC) should provide postal voting for Sarawakians and Sabahans in Peninsular Malaysia for the 15th General Election (GE15), says a Sarawak minister.

State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (pic) said this could be done in time for the coming polls if the EC had the political will to implement it.

"Armed Forces, police and EC personnel on duty can vote via post. If the EC wants, they can open it up to Sarawakians in Peninsular Malaysia to register as postal voters, or for West Malaysians in Sarawak," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after opening the Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association's (Mica) Sarawak domestic tourism campaign here on Monday (Oct 17).

Abdul Karim said Malaysians overseas could apply for postal voting but outstation voters in the country had to travel back to their constituencies to vote.

"There are many eligible voters from Sarawak in Peninsular Malaysia. To vote, they need to buy expensive flight tickets and take leave.

"Things like this need to be looked into to ensure that citizens can carry out their responsibility. Don't make it difficult for them," he said.

Abdul Karim also called on the EC to improve the voting process by looking into digital voting for future elections.

"We are already in the digital age. We trust online banking, so why can't we create a system for online voting?

"That is the way forward and it can save a lot of money.

"The EC shouldn't be asleep but has to keep looking forward so we can create a better election system," he said.

On a related matter, Abdul Karim said any assistance from the state government for Sarawakian voters in the peninsula to fly home and vote in GE15 needed to be looked into carefully to ensure it would not contravene the Election Offences Act.

During a town hall session with Sarawakian students in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday (Oct 15), Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari had said the state government would consider how to assist Sarawakians to travel home to vote.

"Financing or subsidising flights, boat rides or bus rides can be seen as an election offence, so we have to study it in detail," said Abdul Karim.