Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING (May 17): Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has urged the Election Commission (EC) to expedite the necessary reforms to ensure a safer election process and implement it before the next state election amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to him, the EC has failed to implement not just Undi18 (lowering the country’s voting age to 18) and automatic voters’ registration as promised but also the necessary reforms to ensure a “safer voting process” especially in view of the next state polls.
“This is in view of the Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi) Abang Johari Tun Openg’s intention to seek audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to discuss the timing of dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), which is due to automatically dissolve on June 6.
“However, currently we are in a nationwide State of Emergency until Aug 1 where elections, Parliament and DUN sittings have been suspended,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Yii, who is Democratic Action Party lawmaker, said the EC had more than a year to prepare for a “safer voting process” but failed to take proactive steps and reforms to do so.
He asserted that the EC should have looked into certain adjustments and procedural reforms, especially in implementing the necessary safety standard operating procedures (SOP), including absentee voting or extending postal voting to either vulnerable populations or those working or studying outside their home states, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
According to him, postal voting will make it easier for voters residing in other states to vote, instead of them having to return home and causing a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases, as what has happened in Sabah after its state election last year.
He believed that it was the EC’s duty to make it as convenient and safe as possible for voters to cast their votes during this pandemic.
“Any inconvenience imposed on voters either directly or indirectly through unnecessary regulations or non–availability of facilities can be construed as a suppression of the fundamental rights of a voter.”
Dr Yii said it was estimated that up to 20 per cent of eligible Sabahan and Sarawakian voters were living and working in Peninsular Malaysia and a good number of citizens from the Peninsula were doing likewise in Sabah and Sarawak.
Given this, he said EC’s failure to come up with a “safer election process” would be deemed as failing to prioritise the safety of the people during a pandemic and uphold the fundamental democratic principle of seeing people come out to vote.
“I have been consistent with the stand that we should not be having an election during this period and priority should be given to control the pandemic and uplift the people’s economy.
“Fact of the matter is, having a conventional general election this year would be disastrous,” he added.
Even though Sarawak has set a target of vaccinating 80 per cent of the population by August, Dr Yii said he had doubts due to the low rate of registration, low vaccine supply as well as up to 20 per cent of the state’s population being below the age of 18, which group is contraindicated to take the vaccine.
“Either way, we should not be looking at an election until most of the population is immunised, and the required electoral reforms should be implemented to give some form of protection during the voting process especially for the high-risk groups,” he said.