KOTA KINABALU: A coalition of NGOs has appealed to the Election Commission to no longer delay the implementation of postal or early voting for Sabahans living outside the state.
In their appeal, the coalition urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Election Commission to put in place postal or early voting for Sabah voters living in Peninsular Malaysia as it was long overdue.
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), Engage, Rose, Tindak, and Projek Sama, in a joint statement Sunday (Oct 12), said that both the federal and state governments had failed to address the issue despite repeated calls since the 2011 Sarawak election.
The NGOs urged the Prime Minister to clarify whether he supports, in principle, extending postal or early voting rights to Sabah voters living outside Sabah so they are not excluded from deciding their state’s leadership.
Without postal or early voting, the groups warned that out-of-state voters face three unattractive options - change their registration away from their home state and forfeit long-term ties or incur high travel cost or simply be unable to vote because of financial constraints.
The coalition urged EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun and the EC commissioner representing Sabah, Datuk Sapdin Ibrahim, to publicly state their positions at the commission’s forthcoming meeting to set the Sabah election dates.
The NGOs said that if the EC agrees in principle, it should implement postal or early voting as soon as possible for the Sabah election.
If immediate implementation is not possible, the NGOs want a clear timeline and roadmap toward making the reform a reality, with guarantees that it will be in place by GE16.
The coalition also pressed the EC to outline medium- and long-term plans to improve voting accessibility for all voters, including those in hospitals and prisons, by expanding postal voting and exploring other inclusive methods that are safe and transparent.
The NGOs said that political parties contesting the state election should commit in their manifestos to press the federal government to realise postal voting rights for out-of-state voters if EC does not implement it.
The joint statement also thanked MPs Lee Chean Chung and Wilfred Madius Tangau for raising the issue and urged all 219 MPs to urge Prime Minister Anwar and the EC to ensure out-of-state voters can exercise their democratic rights without undue financial or time burdens.
