Malaysians, Go Register To Vote! The EC Is Even Giving Out Free Flights…Wait, What?
More than 4 million eligible Malaysians have yet to register as voters.
By Tang Ruxyn — 08 Mar 2017, 02:41 PM
If you're a Malaysian but haven't registered to vote, Bersih 2.0 thinks you should do it soon — by 31 March 2017 to be exact
Bersih deputy chairperson Shahrul Mohd Aman Saari explained that the Election Commission (EC) would start processing new registrations for the year starting this month.
The next election should be called on or before 24 August 2018, but if it is to be held in September 2017, then Malaysians must register by 31 March if they want to vote.
"Each new registration will take up to six months to process and gazette."
"March 31 will be the last day when Malaysians can register to vote if the 14th general election is to take place in September this year," he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
In an initiative to encourage Malaysians to register as voters, Bersih has launched the 'U Campaign'
The voter registration campaign will include several activities at post offices and other events across Malaysia, and is expected to last for the entire month of March.
"Centering on the letter 'U' which stands for 'UNDI' (which can also double as 'you'), Bersih 2.0’s voter registration campaign places the power back in the hands of Malaysians, complementing BERSIH’s philosophy as a people’s movement," a statement from Bersih read.
The electoral watchdog is on a mission to convert four million eligible Malaysians into voters by the upcoming general election.
According to Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah, there are 170,000 to 180,000 new voters who have not been registered every quarter.
On the other hand, the Electoral Commission (EC) is enticing Malaysians to register by giving out free flight tickets
The EC, Kumpulan Media Karangkraf (KMK), and AirAsia Bhd, have joined forces to organise the 'Jom Kita Daftar Undi' campaign that will last for three months, beginning 3 March until 6 May 2017.
Throughout this period of time, Malaysians are encouraged to register as a voter to stand a chance to be one of the winners of the 1,000 AirAsia tickets to various domestic and international destinations.
However, Bersih has slammed the EC for handing out freebies instead of implementing automatic voter registration
The group questioned the need to offer gifts to persuade people to register as voters, when in fact, it is EC's basic duty to ensure that the people are empowered to exercise their basic democratic rights.
"Instead of offering freebies, the EC should focus their resources on implementing automatic voter registration thus eradicating the need for voter registration drives completely."
"Automatic voter registration will be electronically linked to the National Registration Department (NRD) and will eliminate the lack of addresses, duplicate entries, as well as remove deceased persons, and other dubious entries from the electoral roll," the statement read.