Weekday polling won’t affect turnout – EC

KUALA LUMPUR: The allegations by several quarters that the date of polling which falls on a working day could affect the percentage of voters casting their ballots are inaccurate, said former deputy chairman of the Election Commission (EC), Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

He said that based on his experience as EC secretary and EC deputy chairman previously, the percentage of voters casting their ballots at each general election was more than 70 per cent.

“In my opinion, the date set by the EC was appropriate because nomination day falls on April 28 and polling day is set for May 9. So, all the contesting candidates have enough time to carry out campaigning officially for 11 days,” he told Bernama after becoming a guest of the programme ‘The Nation’ produced by Bernama News Channel yesterday.

As citizens who place importance on their right to vote, Wan Ahmad said the voters must discharge their responsibilities and go out to cast their ballots since the government had declared May 9 as additional public holiday for the whole nation.

“The polling date had become a political issue by several quarters as initially the polling day on May 9 was a working day, but the government had declared the date as additional public holiday for the whole country to facilitate the people to cast their votes.

On the allegation that the EC was not being fair, Wan Ahmad said the allegation was unfounded as the EC had never blocked any political party or candidate from contesting in the general election as long as they fulfilled the conditions stipulated such as not being a bankrupt nor being involved in any criminal case.

Describing Malaysia as being a developing democracy and not an advanced democracy, Wan Ahmad said many Malaysians still had no clear knowledge on the process of voting, thus they hurled various negative allegations at the EC, an independent agency which was responsible for handling elections in the country.

On the efforts of certain quarters including airlines that took the initiative to offer flight packages to facilitate voters to return to their hometowns to vote, he said they reflected the democratic maturity of the people and the stake holders in discharging their social responsibility and contributing in the efforts to encourage registered voters to discharge their voting rights.