EC Chief: We Will Investigate Why Overseas Voters Did Not Receive Postal Votes In Time
He also apologised to them for the delay.
By Sadho Ram — 09 May 2018, 05:27 PM
GE14 is over. Malaysians in the country who were registered as voters did not let anything stop them from coming out to vote.
However, several Malaysians who live overseas were denied their right to vote as their postal votes failed to reach them in time
In London, those who did not receive their postal ballot papers took part in a rally organised by Bersih UK at Trafalgar Square on 7 May to protest against the Election Commission (EC) over the late arrival of postal ballot papers.
Because they have not received their ballot papers or received them too late, it was impossible for their votes to reach Malaysia by the 5pm deadline on 9 May.
Prior to the end of the polling, Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mohd Hashim Abdullah said they will look into the issue as to why did overseas voters did not receive their postal votes in time
Hashim, who had previously advised postal voters awaiting their ballots not to fret, saying, "Insya Allah, there is still time", today said that the EC will investigate the reason behind the delay in the deliveries of some of the postal ballot papers.
"After receiving several complaints regarding the issue, the EC views this as a serious matter and will carry out an investigation," Hashim was quoted as saying by MalayMail.
Hisham also apologised to overseas voters
According to Malaysiakini, the EC Chairman, while acknowledging that they have received complaints of late delivery of postal votes, apologised for it.
According to reports, overseas voters in Australia, Italy, France and the UK have claimed they have not received their ballot papers
25-year-old Malaysian content marketing executive Daniel, who resides in the UK, said that despite being a registered postal voter, he has not received his ballot paper yet and is disappointed that he will not get to vote this round.
"Whether it is basic incompetence or intentional gerrymandering, the EC should take full responsibility for not ensuring the rights of overseas Malaysians to vote. There is nowhere else I’d rather be than at my polling station on the 9th of May to cast my ballot, but it looks like I will have to wait another 5 years just to do so," he told SAYS.
The EC Chairman said they would also investigate claims that a few male voters were denied their right to vote because of their attire:
Stay updated with SAYS' GE14 website for verified live updates today on election news and results!
