Overseas M’sians can apply to vote by post in next GE soon

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians overseas can apply online from as early as next month to vote by post in the coming general election, Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said.

A special version of the “Form 1” application form will be made available for download on the EC website.

“Soon, we will upload the form, which can be accessed by Malaysians all over the world who are already registered as voters to request for their ballot papers by post,” he said after attending a forum titled “Citizens in a Free and Fair Election” organised by the National Institute for Electoral Integrity yesterday.

To qualify as an overseas postal voter, one must already be registered with the Commission as a voter and must have returned to Malaysia at least once in the past five years.

Currently, only full-time students, civil servants and their spouses are eligible for postal voting.

To register, voters can download the “Form A” application available online on the EC’s website ( http:// www.ec.gov.my).

After filling up the form, applicants should attach a copy of their passport or MyKad and mail the form to their respective Malaysian Embassy’s assistant voter registrar appointed by the EC.

On another matter, Wan Ahmad said six local non-governmental organisations would serve as observers in the next general election in the peninsula while several more would be appointed to observe polls in Sabah and Sarawak.

They are the Merdeka Centre, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs and the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights.

Also appointed are Transparency International, Centre for Public Policy Studies and the Malaysian Youth Council.

Each monitoring NGO would be allowed to have three representatives in all 222 parliamentary constituencies.

The observers will not be allowed to issue statements during the polling period but will be allowed to publicise their reports after the general election.

“This move is to increase the transparency and confidence of the people towards our election,” he said.