Don’t wait till the last minute to register as voter – EC chairman
KUCHING: Sarawakians who are eligible to vote but have yet to register themselves have been advised to do so as early as possible as it takes time to complete the registration process.
Election Commission (EC) chairman Azhar Azizan Harun said as of the first quarter of this year, there are about 3.8 million people nationwide who are eligible to vote but have yet to register themselves.
“I urge those who are eligible to register as early as possible and not wait until the last minute because the registration process does take time.
“In other countries, people fight tooth and nail for voters’ rights but in Malaysia, we have voting rights handed to us but we don’t make full use of that right and instead, want to wait until the last minute to register,” he told a press conference a er officiating at a voter education programme at Kuching Polytechnic, Jalan Matang here yesterday.
He stressed that the programme at Kuching Polytechnic had nothing to do with the next state election.
“This is a routine activity for the EC and the Election Academy in our effort to reach out to Malaysians, especially students, to bring awareness and understanding about the true election process.
“This programme also allows us to answer any controversial or confusing issues about the election process, and we will also hold further programmes to encourage those who are eligible but haven’t registered to do so,” he said.
Azhar also wished to clarify that the viral news going around social media concerning the supposed closing date to register as a voter for the next state election, was false.
“The viral news about those who wish to register for the 2021 state election having to do so by June or July 2019 is false. We will only know the closing date for registering after there has been an announcement made about the state election date,” he said.
Among those present at the programme were EC deputy chairman Dr Azmi Sharom and Kuching Polytechnic director Jamaliah Ahmad.