Register and vote, ASLI chairman tells eligible voters

KUALA LUMPUR: Eligible voters who decline the duty and responsibility to register to vote or plan to spoil their vote can severely damage the election process and democracy itself, said Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of the ASLI Centre for Public Policy Studies.

He said the ‘ undi rosak’ or spoilt votes in the ballot box were destructive and disruptive to the whole election exercise.

“Those who indulge in supporting and, worse still, participating in this practice will do us all patriotic Malaysian voters a great disservice,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The vote spoilers, he said, could actually be seen as sabotaging the electoral system and this was most unfair to all Malaysians.

Ramon also noted that although the 14th General Election was near, about 3.8 million Malaysians, mostly youths around the age of 21, had not registered as voters as of September last year.

Thus, he made an appeal to the youths who had not registered or planned to spoil their vote to support and strengthen the electoral process and to enhance the democracy.

“Please rush to the nearest post office or Election Commission office to register as voters as soon as possible,” he said.

Ramon also suggested that the EC go all- out to win them over. — Bernama