KUCHING, Oct 16: The right to vote is not just for the rich or those that can afford to fly back to vote, says incumbent Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
According to Dr Yii, instead of finding ways to subsidise Sarawakians to return and vote in the 15th General Election (GE15), the Sarawak government under Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) should compel the Election Commission (EC) to introduce all necessary electoral reforms before the general election, including absentee voting for Sarawakians and Sabahans living outside the two regions.
“While I welcome things that are good for Sarawakians, but real electoral reforms would have more long term effect, rather than merely a short term gap measure, which may come at a financial cost as well.
“This is something I have been pushing for since the beginning to protect the rights of East Malaysians to vote and facilitate their participation in the democratic process,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Yii opined, when the EC meets on the Oct 20, on top of announcing the election date, they should announce reforms to allow Sarawakians and Sabahans to vote without the need to spend thousands just to travel all the way to exercise their fundamental rights.
He pointed out that all of these reforms and many more, could have been done before elections are called to ensure it is safer, fairer and easier for more voters to be part of the electoral process.
He said it is estimated that up to 20 per cent of eligible Sarawakian and Sabah voters are living and working in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Such reforms are important to encourage more voter participation, especially for elections held in Sarawak and Sabah.
“They should not be further burdened financially or put at risk especially during a pandemic by having to travel back to their constituencies just to exercise their fundamental right to vote,” he added. — DayakDaily
