Speaker approves motion to debate EC reforms ahead of S'wak polls
PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun has approved an emergency motion from Kelvin Yii (Pakatan Harapan-Bandar Kuching) to debate certain Election Commission (EC) reforms as well as the exorbitant flight ticket prices to Sarawak.
Yii said reforms to facilitate voting in elections should have been carried out a long time ago but it has become even more urgent with the upcoming Sarawak state polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic...
PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun has approved an emergency motion from Kelvin Yii (Pakatan Harapan-Bandar Kuching) to debate certain Election Commission (EC) reforms as well as the exorbitant flight ticket prices to Sarawak.
Yii said reforms to facilitate voting in elections should have been carried out a long time ago but it has become even more urgent with the upcoming Sarawak state polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We are still facing the Covid-19 pandemic and the EC has not implemented any reforms that should make it easier and safer for voters to vote in elections, especially for Sarawakians who live in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
"Things such as 'absentee voting’ where Sarawakians can vote in a special voting centre in major cities in Peninsular Malaysia or allowing postal voting for those who live outside of Sarawak should be done as soon as possible to ensure everyone can participate in this healthy democratic practice," he said while reading out his motion in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Yii said the Prime Minister’s Department – which has jurisdiction over the EC – needs to explain why the EC has yet to implement these reforms as well as how to execute them immediately.
If this involves amendments to legislation, he said it is even more urgent as it should be done in time for the Sarawak state polls.
He also lamented that flight ticket prices to Sarawak, especially those close to the polling date on Dec 18, have shot up, which will further burden Sarawakians who want to travel back to vote in the state election.
As such, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong should also explain how the government plans to reduce the flight ticket prices to Sarawak, Yii said.
Azhar said he found the submission to have fulfilled the three criteria - it is an urgent and specific matter as well as of public interest.
He approved the emergency motion to be debated in the special chambers of the Dewan Rakyat that runs parallel to the House's main sitting.
Sarawak goes to the polls on Dec 18, with nomination day fixed for Dec 6.
