KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Giving subsidies to Sarawakians so that they may return to their constituencies to vote in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15) is an election offence if the same is not extended to all voters regardless of their political affiliation, the Coalition of Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) declared today.
The watchdog said it was deemed an illegal practice under Section 20 of the Election Offences Act 1954 if said subsidies were not provided to all voters and without preconditions to vote a certain way.
“Whoever offers subsidised fares to enable voters to travel home to vote must ensure that the offer is offered to all voters regardless of their political leanings and that the whole process and transportation itself do not carry any candidate’s or party’s emblem that might influence the way a person’s vote.
“However, when a state or federal government offers subsidised fares, the issue of abuse of state resources during elections to gain an advantage comes into question, especially when it is directly or indirectly linked to supporting the candidates of the government. It gives the incumbent government an unfair advantage and is unethical but unfortunately current laws do not criminalise such acts,” the group said in a statement.
Yesterday, national news agency Bernama reported Sarawak premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg as saying the state government was mulling subsidies for Sarawakians in East Malaysia to help them with costs incurred when they return to vote.
He said discussions were under way.
Bersih pointed out that if convicted of the offence, an individual would be liable to RM5,000 in fines, barred from voting or standing as a candidate for five years and would lose their seat if they were an elected representative.
The only caveat is Section 20(5) makes an exception for those sharing the cost of transportation such as carpooling or hiring a bus to transport themselves to their voting constituencies.
In the same statement, Bersih urged both the Sarawak and Sabah governments to join the Election Commission (EC) in finding a way to have absentee voters vote three days in advance of polling day with mega voting centres built in East and peninsular Malaysia to allow postal voting both ways.