THE Election Commission (EC) said it would not allow non-Malaysians to act as witnesses on postal ballot documents.

Deputy Law and Institutional Reform Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Ramkarpal Singh said this was because the Identity Declaration Form (Form 2) – a legal document under postal voting regulations – can only be filled by Malaysians.

“The EC also does not plan to allow voters to download and print postal voting documents such as Form 2 and ballots,” he said at a special chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in response to Tan Hong Pin’s (Bakri-PH) speech about the number of overseas postal voters, as well as whether the government would consider allowing its embassies abroad to handle the postal voting process.

Information on the EC website shows only a Malaysian aged 18 or above can act as a witness for postal ballot documents.

Ramkarpal said he would look into complaints about the short application period for postal ballots, which have caused high traffic to the EC website.

He said any announcement about postal voting would be made via print and electronic media, in addition to the EC’s official social media platforms.

“The EC is also working with the Foreign Ministry to disseminate the latest information on an election, especially regarding the polling date, as well as the opening and closing dates to apply as category 1B overseas postal voters,” he said. – Bernama, October 24, 2023.