Election Commission studies domestic postal voting for voters across Malaysia, with a decision expected next year after stakeholder engagement.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) is conducting a detailed study on the proposed implementation of domestic postal voting for voters across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said the study required engagement with all stakeholders, including political parties, before any final decision could be made.
“The study is expected to be completed next year,” he said when replying to a question from Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (WARISAN-Kota Belud) on the urgent need to transform electoral processes and introduce postal voting rights across regions in Malaysia during the Dewan Rakyat Special Chamber session today.
In another development, Kulasegaran said the government was open to reviewing the EC’s position to place it under the purview of Parliament instead of the Prime Minister’s Department.
“I think that is a good suggestion that should be taken into consideration. The matter will be brought to the relevant parties so that a decision can be made soon,” he said.
On claims that enforcement of the ban on mobile phone use at polling streams was still lax, he said the EC believed that the existing control mechanisms were sufficient and there were no plans to amend the procedure or introduce it as a specific offence under the Election Offences Act 1954.
