Hurdles to a convenient voting process

 

What exactly does the Election Commission (EC) do in between elections?

Given that polls are held only once in four or five years, there is plenty of time in between to think up ways to improve the process for the benefit of voters.

Even if we count in the odd state elections — Sabah and Sarawak have a habit of seeking a new mandate separately — and the occasional by-election, there still is a lot of time for bouncing ideas off each other.

There certainly are many areas ripe for some form of a revamp.

The first is the process of casting our votes. It has not changed over more than six decades and 14 elections.

It is shocking that we still have to queue up at the polling station to indicate who we want to represent us at the Dewan Rakyat or state assembly next.

Granted most of the rest of the world does it the same way, but that does not mean that we cannot take the lead in changing the way things are done.

The question of introducing an alternative for voters has not been more imperative than now.

With a new strain of Covid-19 now raging through the population, it is almost foolhardy to take the risk and mingle with the crowd at polling stations.

Social distancing will certainly be impossible. Just yesterday, there were more than 4,000 new infections. Just how many more will test positive in the days after Nov 19 is anyone’s guess.

It won’t come as a surprise if the numbers hit record highs again. Just do the math.

We are so technologically advanced today than we were just a few years ago. It is a surprise how no one has come up with a newfangled app or secure website to enable us to cast our votes without the risk of it being hacked.

If we can so easily transfer large sums of money from our own bank accounts online, why can’t we use the same method to elect our “wakil rakyat”?

Alright, let us assume that we are, after all, not that technologically advanced yet. How about returning to basics? The postal voting system has been in place for decades.

A corporatised and privatised postal service ought to be more efficient and should be counted on to handle large quantities of mail with individual ballet papers, all marked and ready for the count.

Alas, this is only for the privileged few who happen to be working or living abroad. A disabled person who is unable to leave home without help is not entitled to this privilege. He has to somehow find his way to the polling centre in crutches or a wheelchair.

Why do we discriminate against the less fortunate among us?

Let’s not even start on how difficult it will be for students who are enrolled at universities outside their home states or people working in a different town.

Unless they have the cash to pay for a flight across the South China Sea or the bus ride home from Kuala Lumpur to Kangar, they forfeit their votes.

If we now have a system to automatically register anyone above the age of 18 as a voter, why can’t we also change the voting centre for a person who has changed his address?

There are cases of those who have moved to a new place and changed their addresses on their myKad years ago who are still registered as voters in their home towns.

The onus is on the EC to make it easy and convenient for Malaysians to exercise their right to vote, even if it’s just once in five years.

And while we’re at it, how about changing the rules to ban snap polls. Amend the constitution to bar the dissolution of parliament at the whim and fancy of a shaky government.

Fix the election date within the same week of the same month every five years. This will ensure that we always get to have polling day on a Saturday or Sunday.

And let’s try not to have it in the middle of the monsoon season. A rainy day can very easily dampen the enthusiasm even for first-time voters.

This way, everyone can plan their schedule around polling day way ahead. That includes political parties, aspiring “Yang Berhormats”, their respective political parties and, most importantly, the voters.

If the incumbent government falls within the five-year period, pick the one who has widest support in the Dewan Rakyat to form a new government. Otherwise have the king appoint a caretake PM.

That should make life easier for everyone. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.