Activists, analysts against compulsory voting

 

Activists and analysts say punishing those who do not vote is not a solution.

PETALING JAYA: Activists and analysts have spoken against proposals to make voting compulsory, saying voters also have the right to abstain from the process.

Bersih chairman Thomas Fann and Undi18 co-founder Qyira Yusri said it was not right to penalise people for not exercising their right to vote.

“Bersih disagrees with any proposal to make voting compulsory as we believe it violates the people’s right to choose whether to participate (in the electoral process) or not,” Fann told FMT.

He said enforcing penalties against those who did not cast their ballots would be a “massive administrative task”.

He also said it would also be unfair to outstation East Malaysian voters who would need to fork out a lot of money to return home to vote.

Qyira said political parties needed to understand why some chose not to vote, and that punishing them was not a solution.

“If they are punished, they will see voting as an obligation to avoid getting into trouble rather than as an opportunity to elect their representatives,” she said.

They were commenting on law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s remarks that making voting compulsory was not feasible due to the challenges faced by rural voters.

These challenges include a lack of infrastructure and voting facilities in these areas.

Political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian said making voting compulsory was out of the question until facilities and infrastructure throughout the country were improved.

“Even the most developed countries are facing difficulties in making voting compulsory,” the Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer told FMT.

He proposed that the Election Commission (EC) explore e-voting to help outstation voters exercise their rights, though this must be preceded by improved infrastructure.

Political scientist Wong Chin Huat also disagreed with compulsory voting, saying the focus should be on making the process easier and cheaper for voters.

“People who stay outside of their region or state should be allowed to vote remotely instead of having to travel back home,” he said.

Wong said some 500,000 Sabahans and Sarawakians who lived outside their states were being “punished” with expensive travelling costs to cast their votes. - FMT