SABAH and Sarawak folk who are living or working in the peninsula should have the option of casting their votes in constituencies where they live, instead of returning to their home states to vote. 

Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah urged the Election Commission and Putrajaya to amend the law to allow those from east Malaysia to vote in the peninsula.

“There is an urgent need to implement this reform,” Maria said at the Bersih office in Petaling Jaya today.

“There are over 150,000 registered Sabahan and Sarawakian voters living in the peninsula.

“Each election, they are spending hundreds of ringgit and must find the time to return home to vote. These difficulties have resulted in low voter turnout.”

Maria said that if they are allowed to vote in the peninsula, then the EC should hold advanced voting for them like what is done for the police, army personnel and emergency workers.

“The polling process should be carried out one day for the Sabahans and Sarawakians before the actual polling day for all Malaysians.

“The votes should also be counted on the same day so that it will be more transparent.

“This can eliminate party members from looking after the ballot boxes and reduce any movement of the boxes.”

Maria said it is crucial that the EC look into this proposal as the voter turnout in Sabah and Sarawak in GE13 was the lowest in the country.

She said that the proposal was submitted to the EC in May 2017 and to Minister Paul Low in July.

“To date, there is no response to our proposal.”

Rise of Sarawak Efforts member Tan Soh Keong said in the last elections, many Sarawakians couldn’t return home to vote because of money.

“We started this civil society to encourage Sarwakians to return home to vote.

“The young adults want to vote but many lack the funds to return to Sarawak,” she said.

Kumbang Samat who works in a church ministry in Kuala Lumpur said since he moved here in 1998, he has never returned to Sarawak to vote.

“One of the reasons my wife and I don’t go back to vote with our three children is because of the high cost.

“We only go back if there is a celebration like Gawai.”

Adrian Lim, a civil servant in Selangor, said it’s difficult to go back to Sabah a day before polling and return the next day.

“It is because of the cost of air tickets and I will need to take leave to go back.

“So these are the factors and I hope the EC will make this a reality for us to vote here.” – September 21, 2017.