No need to change laws for overseas vote, says PSC member

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — There is no need to amend election laws to allow overseas Malaysians to vote, a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reforms said today.

All that was needed was a minor tweak in the process of registering new voters, said Anthony Loke (picture), who is also DAP Youth chief.

“The Election Commission (EC) has to just include one line that allows Malaysians abroad to vote via post,” he told a press conference here.


The current election law does not permit postal voting for Malaysians abroad.
Loke also said the EC was previously given three months to add in the additional line but it had yet to do so.

“We gave them three months but they only said they will look into it but have not done so,” he said.

He also called for a proper voting mechanism to be created immediately.
He has requested the EC to brief all stakeholders, which are mainly political parties, on the new changes made to the regulations.

“The EC must come up with a proper mechanism and then brief all parties involved about it so we know what to do prior to the elections and how to do it,” Loke said.

EC chairman Tan Seri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said yesterday that if required legislative amendments would be tabled in the Parliament to allow voting overseas via postal balloting.

Abdul Aziz said the system could be implemented by September 2012 if he has to amend the law but it could be that amendments are not needed.