EC: Rela members cannot vote by post

KOTA KINABALU: Members of the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) are not allowed to vote by post because they are not in the same category as those under Police Volunteer Reserve (PVR), who are appointed under Section 35 of Police Act 1967.

In clarifying this, Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah has denied the allegation by certain quarters claiming that nearly four million postal voters would cast the ballots in the 14th general election (GE14) of whom Rela members – a group mistakenly thought to be categorised under PVR – would make up the largest number.

“Regarding this matter, the EC wants to emphasise that the allegation is not true and is intended to confuse the public.

“In the announcement dated Oct 23, 2017, it is clearly indicated that only PVR personnel certified by the employer that the personnel has to perform duty on polling day only, be granted the postal voting facility. The PVR personnel are appointed under Section 35 of Police Act 1967,” he pointed out in a statement yesterday.

Mohd Hashim further emphasised that Rela members are not under the same category as PVR and thus, not included in the postal voting categories, which were gazetted recently.

Under Article 3(1) to (4) of Election Regulations (Postal Voting) 2003, it stipulates that any citizen who has registered as a voter may vote by post provided that they must belong to one of the categories specified by the EC.

“Until the GE13, the EC has set up several categories of voters in the country who could apply to become postal voters such as the army and police personnel who are unable to attend early voting day.

“Members of the media and election officers on duty outside of their registered electoral districts are also permitted to use the postal voting facility.

“For overseas voters, those comprising civil servants serving overseas and (their) spouses, fulltime students studying abroad and their spouses, and Malaysians who are listed as ‘Absent Voters’ are also provided with postal voting facility,” Mohd Hashim explained.

The EC has extended the postal voting facility to several additional categories involving members of the security forces, as well as those from health and services on duty during polling day – under the justification that the members involved are voters who are unable to abandon their duty on polling day.

The additional categories were gazetted by the EC on Oct 23 and Dec 13 last year, in pursuant to the Election Regulations (Postal Voting) 2013. The categories are as listed:

1. Fire and Rescue Department personnel;

2. Health staff and members of hospital and government clinics only; 3. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) personnel;

4. Prisons Department personnel;

5. PVR personnel;

6. Immigration Department personnel;

7. Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel;

8. National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) personnel, and;

9. National Registration Department (NRD) officers on duty at Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) only.

“For public information, the postal voting facility granted to those under these voter categories is not automatic to all the members, but subjected to members who are required to perform their duties on polling day.

More importantly, they must apply to become postal voters with certificates by respective heads of departments upon the opening of the application period by the EC through official notification,” he said, adding that those who did not apply would not be eligible to vote by post.

Moreover, Mohd Hashim said the actual number of members in the postal voting categories could only be accurately determined after the application is opened and received.

“The EC will scrutinise all postal voting applications to ensure that only those eligible, as gazetted, are allowed to use the postal voting facility.”

On the suspicion regarding the safety of the postal ballot boxes and early ballot boxes – alleged to have been manipulated and also put under risk of misappropriation of postal votes and early votes during GE13 – Mohd Hashim said the allegation was based solely on the assumption and intention to confuse the public.

He said in GE13, concerned parties had made an election petition against the EC and the issues raised were also decided by the Election Court prior – there was no such proof in court.

According to him, the early ballot boxes would be kept in police lockup once the early voting centres are closed. The EC, in collaboration with police, would always ensure tight security by making detailed scrutiny on all early ballot boxes.

The EC, Mohd Hashim added, had never practised or acted contrary to the provisions of the existing election – it always carries out its responsibilities in a transparent and fair manner in all actions.

On the recommendation for the EC to practise the counting of the early ballots on the same day after polling as what is done by other countries, he said the EC considered it ‘impractical’ as it would affect the voting pattern on polling day.

“If parts of the results are known earlier, it is feared that it would affect the sentiments of some parties and also affect the pattern of voting. Even two days before polling day, it is feared that it would encourage the occurrence of an out-of-control situation, especially in terms of campaign misconduct and public safety,” he explained, again assuring all that the EC is committed to handling GE14 in a fair and transparent manner, and would not compromise with any element that violates the provisions of the Federal Constitution and the Election Law.

“The EC guarantees that each and every vote is a secret – all voters are free to make their choices.”