THE Election Commission (EC) should facilitate voting for Covid-19 positive Sabahans, instead of denying them their rights, Bersih 2.0 said.

The electoral reforms group said it was appalled by Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement yesterday, when he said Covid-19 patients would not be allowed to cast their ballots this Saturday.

However, he said those who are in quarantine may vote.

“Bersih 2.0 is of the view that if the EC fails to facilitate voting for Covid-19 positive patients in Sabah this coming Saturday, it would be liable to legal action for failing to fulfil its obligation to voters.

“Further, any person or election officers who wilfully prevent any person who is entitled to vote from doing so would have committed an offence under Section 4(d) or Section 9 of the Election Offences Act 1954,” Bersih’s stressing committee said in a statement.

It said the EC was “duty-bound” to facilitate the casting of ballots and in the case of Covid-19 positive individuals and “special arrangements should be made for these patients to vote from the safety of hospital wards with the assistance of trained medical staff”.

This would still ensure that Covid-19 positive cases do not leave the hospital and they are in compliance with the EC’s own Guidelines for Prevention of Covid-19 During Elections (1).

“A citizen’s right to vote is enshrined in the federal constitution and no one can arbitrarily take that right away, not even a minister or a special cabinet,” Bersih said.

It also highlighted Article 119(1) and (3) of the constitution, which grant the right to vote to every citizen and only disqualified those who are of “unsound mind and those serving imprisonment of more than 12 months”. – September 23, 2020.