M’sia polls to have new elements including use of indelible ink and early voting
(Straits Times) – Malaysia will introduce a number of new elememts during the 13th general election to ensure transparency in the voting process.
Bernama news agency reported on Wednesday that the new elements include the use of indelible ink, early voting by police and military personnel to replace postal voting, allowing the disabled to bring along someone to help them vote and abolishing the process of protest during nomination and withdrawal of candidacy.
Bernama reported that the rule on indelible ink makes it compulsory for anyone wanting to vote to have the left index finger marked with the ink before being given the ballot paper. Those who refuse to comply will not be issued the paper.
The Election Commission (EC), for the first time, also introduced early voting for military personnel and their spouses, General Operations Force personnel and spouses, and policemen unable to vote on polling day.
This will involve 273,819 voters, comprising 163,017 voters from the military and 110,802 from the police.
Other than members of the security forces, Malaysians abroad who meet stipulated conditions will also for the first time allowed to vote early through the postal voting method, according to Bernama.
But they must be registered voters and had been in Malaysian or had returned not less than 30 days in five years prior to the dissolution of Parliament or state assembly.
Malaysians living in southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Kalimantan in Indonesia are not qualified to use this facility and must return home to vote.
The EC said in a statement that the conditions were imposed to show that there is a clear relationship between the citizens of Malaysia and the motherland.
The commission also agreed to abolish the process of protest during nomination and the period to withdraw candidacy to tackle the problem of frivolous protests, said the report.
With this amendment, the time required by EC to print ballot papers is shortened because it does not have to wait for the cooling-off period of three days to withdraw candidacy as practised previously.
Disabled people will be allowed to name someone they trust to help them vote, on condition that the named person is a citizen aged 21 and above, but not necessarily registered as a voter.
And also for the first time in the history of the country’s general elections, all media workers including journalists, photographers, cameraman and technicians on duty outside the areas they registered are eligible to apply to be postal voters.
The EC is also prepared to give equal access to all political parties to present their manifestos on Radio Television Malaysia, said the Bernama report.
Other new elements include campaign period must not be less than 10 days and the exhibition of the Electoral Roll will be extended from seven days to 14 days.
