Irony of registered voters who don’t vote

MALAYSIANS eligible to vote, especially those already registered but not exercising their right, have become a great concern among political parties as well as the Election Commission.

A lower voter turnout can be a disadvantage to candidates, who may end up winning or losing by a slim margin.

As of January this year, there were about 14.8 million registered voters.

But more than three million people aged 21 and above, who are eligible to vote, have yet to register.

Inaugural director of Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, Prof James Chin, said making it compulsory would create a lot of problems in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak, apart from the huge logistics factor.

“Many voters now do not even know where their voting station is. As such, if you were to impose a penalty, what sort of penalties are you going to apply?

“If you are concerned about the state of affairs and the fate of this country, then you should exercise your right.

“If you decide to stay home or go shopping or to a movie, and maybe even take a holiday locally or overseas, how do you expect to see changes?

“By not making any effort, you should not complain if the election results do not favour you, your friends and family, and worst still, your preferred election candidates.”

In Singapore, those who fail to vote in a general or presidential election will be deprived of certain privileges unless a valid reason is given, or a fine is paid. In certain countries, although voting is compulsory, penalties are not always strictly enforced.

Merdeka Centre executive director Ibrahim Suffian said each country has its own political culture, but making it compulsory is something hard to enforce.

“Legislating the act to make voting compulsory is good, but there are also pros and cons to it. It will make the election competitive and there are also chances of it being manipulated by political parties,” he said.

Ultimately, he said it is a good thing, but the people in power will have to decide on this.

Ibrahim said Malaysians are “used to having personal freedom. Not wanting to vote is also a choice”.

However, he said if the coming election turnout rate is low, “it goes to show that the people are less interested in what political parties and their candidates are offering”.