Voters fret over polling on weekday

MIRI: The polling date of the 14th general election ( GE14) is finally determined, with the Election Commission ( EC) fixing it on May 9 ( Wednesday).

Many may ask why it is on Wednesday, a working day. But it is not unprecedented as the first general election of the then Federated Malay States ( Malaya) was also held on this day in 1959.

The EC also announced that nomination for GE14 will be held on April 28 and early voting on May 5.

Coincidentally, EC announced the dates for nomination, early voting and polling on the same date (April 10) as it did for the 13th general election (GE13) in 2013.

Polling for GE13 was held on May 5, 2013.

The announcement by EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah yesterday caused uproar among those who disagreed, questioning why it should be held on a Wednesday which is a working day.

However, records show that five general elections had their polling day on weekdays – the 10th general election ( Monday), 9th general election ( Mon-Tue, 1995), sixth general election ( Thurs- Mon, 1982) and the first general election in 1959 ( Wednesday).

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid yesterday announced that all schools will be closed on polling day and the closure will be recorded as an occasional holiday.

Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the dissolution of Parliament on April 6 to pave way for GE14.

With nomination day to be held on April 28 and early voting on May 5, political parties will have 11 days to campaign, in what political observers had regarded as ‘mother of general elections’ in Malaysia.

A total of 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats are at stake to secure the mandate to administer the country which has around 31.7 million people.

BN won the last general election by taking 133 seats out of the 222 contested.

However, it would be facing an unprecedented challenge this time round from the opposition led by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who crossed over to his former political foes after a fallout with Umno and BN led by Najib.

BN holds the edge in this tight race with its superior machinery, resources and advantage of incumbency since Malaysia gained independence in 1957.

The barb trading by both camps in the past year is expected to hit a crescendo in the fight for the voters’ mandate to rule in the next term.