Bersih calls for early voting for electorate outside Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: The Election Commission should improve voting accessibility for Sabahans and Sarawakians living in the peninsula.
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) chairperson, Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, said statistics showed that over 200,000 people from Sabah resided outside their home state.
Citing a survey conducted at Universiti Sains Malaysia, he said that only 20 out of over 1,000 students from Sabah and Sarawak responded that they returned home to vote.
"With limited flights and expensive airfares, not only students, but also working adults find it difficult to afford the airfare or make the necessary arrangements to return to vote.
"Based on the past Sabah state election, the voter turnout was around 56 per cent. Voters aged 18 to 30 made up 53 per cent of the electorate.
"If they do not turn out to vote, overall turnout could fall below 50 per cent. What is the point of having a government elected by less than half the electorate? That would be too much of a minority," he said during Bersih's courtesy visit to the Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) committee members here.
Present at the meeting were SJA president Mariah Doksil and adviser Datuk Muguntan Vanar.
The electoral watchdog had, in March, proposed that the Sabah government announce the dissolution date of the State Assembly earlier to allow voters ample time to prepare.
However, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun responded that such an announcement was at the government's prerogative and that it was not necessary.
Muhammad Faisal said Bersih had been advocating for voters from Sabah and Sarawak to be allowed to cast early ballots at mega polling centres in the peninsula.
He added that the coalition had presented the proposal to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, and the Election Commission for consideration.
On Bersih's four-day "Road to Reform" programme in Sabah, he said the activities included an election simulation for youths, expert forums, and awareness campaigns.
He noted that today's youths were increasingly interested in issues such as climate change and environmental concerns.
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