KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 – Four new rules are among numerous improvements to be carried out in the 13th general election (GE13) to ensure tansparency in the voting process. They are the use of indelible ink, early voting by police and military personnel to replace postal voting, allowing the disabled (OKU) to bring along someone to help them vote and abolishing the process of protest during nomination and withdrawal of candidacy.
The rules came into in force following amendments to the General Election Regulations (Process of General Election) 1981 (Amendment) 2012 and General Election Regulations (Postal Voting) 2003 (Amendment) 2012, which were gazetted last year.
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.
The enforcement of the regulation involves 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 are also for the first time allowed to vote early through the postal voting method.
However, 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. Clarifying on the appropriateness of the conditions, the EC in a statement had said this was to show that there is a clear relationship between the citizens of Malaysia and the motherland.
The EC also agreed to abolish the process of protest during nomination and the period to withdraw candidacy to tackle the problem of frivolous protests. 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 practiced previously.
Meanwhile, OKU are also allowed to name someone they trust to help them vote, on the condition the person carrying out the responsibility of casting vote is a citizen aged 21 upwards 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.
Other registered voters qualified to apply for postal voting are staff of the EC and policemen or members of the military who are on duty on the day of early voting. Meanwhile, 16 non-governmental organisations (NGO) have also been appointed to be observers of GE13, namely five in the peninsula, eight in Sarawak and three in Sabah.
The EC, with the cooperation of the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry, is also prepared to give equal access to all political parties contesting in GE13 to present their manifestos on Radio Television Malaysia.
The following are other new elements which will be implemented in GE13:
– Campaign period not less than 10 days.
– The seating position of representatives of candidates in voting rooms be amended to enable them to clearly see voters entering the voting place.
– The exhibition of the Electoral Roll be extended from seven days to 14 days.
– creation of the GE13 portal (www.pru13.gov.my) to give the latest information to the people.
– EC will not provide tents for supporters of parties who turn up on nomination day.
BERNAMA
