Allow Sabahans to vote remotely from selected centres, group tells EC

SABAH 2020 | Ahead of the upcoming Sabah polls, a movement of concerned Malaysians has called on the Election Commission (EC) to introduce remote voting facilities in the Peninsula, Sarawak, and Singapore to assist eligible voters.

Tawfik Ismail (above), spokesperson for Malaysia First, has noted that around 200,000 Sabahans or some 18 percent of total registered voters will be eligible to cast their ballots.

“We urge the Election Commission to ensure safe and fair elections by implementing remote voting facilities.

"This is so that Sabah voters reduce their risk of exposure to the Covid-19 virus during this pandemic and not be financially burdened by travelling costs to distant polling centres from Peninsular, Sarawak, and Singapore," Tawfik, who is a former G25 member, said in a statement.

He claimed that this method of voting is a universally accepted practice adopted by many democratic countries.

He called his proposal to set up polling centres in major cities in the Peninsula and Sarawak, as well as at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore to be worthy of serious consideration by the EC.

"(The proposal) will help protect the democratic rights of Sabahans to choose their next government," Tawfik stressed.

He added that Malaysia First, whose members include former senior civil servants, is prepared to hold a dialogue with the EC and engage other stakeholders to ensure the upcoming polls are safe and inclusive.

EC deputy chairperson Azmi Sharom yesterday said there are no plans to introduce postal voting for Sabah voters who are living out of state in Sarawak and the Peninsula.

"The EC will continue to fix the postal voting process, besides also thinking of alternatives for outstation voters.

"The EC will pay full attention to the necessary improvements with a task force formed specially to study this issue. It is a process that cannot be rushed and any improvement must be done meticulously," Azmi said.

He was responding to a similar call by NGO Global Bersih which urged the EC to provide postal voting for outstation Sabah voters for the upcoming state elections. - Mkini