'Conditions on overseas voters unconstitutional'
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar says the conditions imposed by the Election Commission (EC) to allow Malaysians residing overseas to vote are unconstitutional.
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar says the conditions imposed by the Election Commission (EC) to allow Malaysians residing overseas to vote are unconstitutional.
Attaching conditions for applicants to be in Malaysia for at least 30 days in total during the previous five years' is not right.
"I object to the unconstitutional conditions imposed (on foreign voters). Hence, I urge Malaysians who can to return home to vote.
"The postal vote system appears to be vulnerable. But those who cannot return must register to become postal voters, by filling and submitting form 1B, which can be downloaded from the EC," Nurul Izzah said in a statement today.
She also called for election candidates to be given a list of the postal voters in their constituencies by the end of nomination day.
Candidates, she said should also be given a nationwide list of overseas postal voters and the high commissions, embassies and consulates involved in postal voting.
One million eligible voters living abroad
"There are at least one million adult Malaysians abroad who can, in the next two weeks, take a monumental step to affect democracy back home by returning home to cast their votes, or at the least registering as postal voters.
"There is a chance Parliament will be dissolved by the end of February, and following the new rules governing postal voting for Malaysians abroad set by the EC, only those who have submitted their completed forms to the EC before and on dissolution day will be allowed to vote in the 13th general election. These Malaysians risk their suffrage if they do not complete this process," Nurul Izzah said.
As of Wednesday, a total of 1,574 people have registered as postal voters.
She also urged those who registered as postal voters to inform NGOs such as the My Overseas Vote and Bersih, so that their ballots could be monitored.
"If you are an unregistered voter, therefore ineligible to become a postal voter, please check anyway whether your name is on the electoral roll. Report the anomalies to Malaysians at home, including relatives and friends," Nurual Izzah added.
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