SPECIAL REPORT With more than four million eligible voters yet to be registered in Malaysia, the main political parties are in a hurry to see the names on the electoral rolls.The registration process is making little headway in some quarters, however, as the Election Commission (EC) stands in the way - it has been accused of complicating a simple process through bureaucracy.
The EC estimates that the eligible but unregistered group comprises 28 percent of the population above the voting age of 21.Selangor has the highest number at 787,000, followed by Johor (605,000), Perak (526,000) and Sarawak (473,000). DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua, also Petaling Jaya Utara MP, blames the EC's stringent rules for current difficulties in registering this group.
Those who turn 21 can register as voters in one of two ways - via the nearest post office or by submitting their application directly to the state EC office. They may also register at events organised in shopping malls, for example, by political parties and such NGOs as Extraordinary People Impacting Community and Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia.However, such exercises - which have the potential to bring on board a large number of eligible voters at any one time - may be stymied for various reasons. Each party is allowed to nominate one assistant registration officer (ARO) for every parliamentary seat. There are now 3,500 accredited AROs nationwide, comprising 2,000 nominated by political parties and 1,500 civil servants appointed by EC.
In January, political parties obtained the EC's agreement to do away this and replace it with two AROs for every state seat. This was to have been done by February, but has yet to be enforced.
Generally, accreditation is renewed on annual basis. However, parties may apply to replace inactive AROs earlier, with the EC's approval.
Pua, describing recent problems in Selangor, said the party's last batch of 22 AROs in the state were to be re-accredited at the end of 2007, but applications were not submitted because of the anticipated general election.“There was no point in doing so because it would have taken six months to gazette the registration and add the new voters' names to the electoral roll,” he explained.Pua said the AROs attached to the DAP are all party members but perform their functions only a part-time basis.After the March 2008 election, the party submitted a fresh list of nominees to the Selangor EC, but only received approval in mid-2009.
“We don't know why there was a delay. This was the first time it happened,” he said, noting that the party did not have a problem in Perak, Penang and Kuala Lumpur.“The EC has an agenda not to let the opposition register new voters… it is completely not sincere and has given all sort of excuses to prevent us doing so.”
Selangor Umno information chief and Kuang assemblyperson Abdul Shukur Idrus confirmed the delay in accreditation of the new AROs, but said the party has been able to proceed with those in service.
Inherent difficulties
Pua also claimed that the Selangor EC has restricted the number of forms issued to AROs on each visit.
They are only given 50 forms each time, he said, although this may be increased based on the discretion of the officers. All the forms must be filled and submitted before new forms are issued.
The EC also requires an ARO to witness the process of filling in the forms. This can be a problem, however, when a registration exercise extends over a prolonged period.
Pua said that, at times, it is possible to register 400-500 voters a day at booths set up in shopping malls.
While the forms are readily available, the ARO may not be there the whole day.
“(On one occasion), the EC sent its officers to do a spot-check on the DAP-owned Rocket Café and discovered that the ARO was not there and revoked the person's accreditation,” said Pua.
By law, registrations recorded without an ARO's supervision can be declared null and void.
Lee Khai Loon, who founded Youth for Change - a movement that is involved in voter registration - pointed to the difficulty of having to 'borrow' AROs when such exercises are organised.Lee, also a Selayang municipal councillor who is in charge of voter registration in Selangor, said the state government launched an on-going campaign over the weekend to get potential voters to sign up.
"Forms have been placed in the service centres of all parliamentarians, assemblypersons and councillors, to enable the public to have easy access,” he said. However, he already foresees a snag - the ARO may not be present all day at each service centre, waiting for registrants to show up. Opposition parties will find this particularly frustrating.“New voters, especially from the younger generation, do not (carry a) historical burden. They are progressive and are not frightened or intimidated by the past,” he added.
“If they register before the next general election, it could affect the results (because their votes would be favourable to the opposition).”
Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/132605
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