JOHOR BARU: Voters should not boycott elections or spoil their ballots out of frustration, as doing so would only weaken their ability to influence the country’s political direction, says Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
The former MCA president said he has received feedback during engagements with the public that some voters, particularly within the Chinese community, are disappointed at the Federal Government leaders they voted for.
“They believe voting is meaningless and plan to boycott or spoil their votes in the upcoming polls. These are not wise actions.
“Remember that if you do not vote or spoil your votes, there will still be a winning candidate at the end of the day,” he said at a dinner with Chinese associations in Tebrau on Saturday (May 16).
Dr Chua said voters should instead use the ballot box to hold elected representatives accountable.
“Use your vote wisely because it can be used to punish the incumbent for not serving the constituency well or to reward those who have worked tirelessly for the people,” he said.
He also urged Chinese voters to cast their ballots strategically rather than emotionally.
Touching on the widely speculated Johor Election, Dr Chua said he believes it would likely be called this year.
He said this was because Chinese New Year falls in January next year, followed by Ramadan in February and Hari Raya Aidilfitri in March, while the current Johor State Assembly’s term ends automatically on April 21 next year.
During the event, he also commented on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement on Friday that the Cabinet had agreed in principle to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) as an admission pathway into public universities.
However, Dr Chua, also a former Cabinet minister, argued that the move did not amount to full recognition of the qualification.
“This is not recognition of UEC. Don’t be misled.
“The government is just providing access to universities for very limited courses in Chinese linguistics. There is nothing earth-shattering in their announcement.
“They are just providing access, not recognition of UEC. They are not even doing good packaging,” he said.
On Friday, Anwar said the Cabinet had approved new admission pathways for graduates from Chinese private secondary schools and UEC holders into public universities.
He said students, regardless of their schooling stream, must meet the basic requirement of passing Bahasa Malaysia and History at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level.
Anwar said similar requirements are imposed on students from Arabic schools, religious secondary schools, tahfiz institutions and international schools.
