THE Election Commission must ensure a system that truly works for overseas voters come the 15th general election, said Global Bersih.

Secretary-general Nirmala Devi Windgaetter said the electoral watchdog does not want a repeat of what happened in GE14, where some overseas Malaysians did not receive ballot papers, or got them only after the polls.

“There was no confirmation if the ballot papers had arrived. There was a lot of frustration for Malaysians abroad.

“We want to avoid that, and we want the EC to include us in their agenda for the next elections. This is among the changes they have to look at, to accommodate overseas voters,” she said at the Bersih office in Petaling Jaya today.

She said one of Bersih’s main grouses is the “very short” campaign period of 11 days.

It should be extended to 25 days, taking into account the overseas postal voting process, said Nirmala.

“To have an affordable option for sending out the ballot papers, we need at least 21 days. Either this, or they have to find another method to send us the ballot papers, because some of us are not getting them.”

With the recent passing of a bill to allow for automatic voter registration, she said, it is crucial for the EC to reach out to eligible voters.

“Previously, those who wanted to vote would have to register at the embassy, and the process would take six months.

“Now… the EC has to work with Malaysian missions overseas to create awareness (on automatic voter registration).

“The EC should also make it easier for Malaysians overseas to register for postal voting. This should be done online.”

Global Bersih president Bala Chelliah said a comprehensive reform proposal was submitted to the EC yesterday.

“The proposal was made to overcome the numerous obstacles faced by overseas voters in GE14. We are recommending changes to the overseas voting process for the next elections.”

He said the proposal was drawn up based on feedback gathered in a Global Bersih survey of Malaysians living in 248 countries, conducted in January and February.

“There is a trust deficit among Malaysians because of poor election practices in the past. The proposal seeks to address these problems by reforming the existing postal voting format.”

Among Global Bersih’s recommendations are:

– Enable voters to apply and register for postal voting online;

– Allow voters to register before the dissolution of Parliament; and,

– Remove the requirement for voters to have spent 30 days in Malaysia in the last five years.

Bala added that the EC should look into extending postal voting for Malaysians living in Singapore, southern Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia’s Kalimantan.

He said Sabah and Sarawak folk who live and work in the peninsula, too, should be eligible for postal voting. – August 2, 2019.