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Final 12 days to register as a voter to protect our basic fundamental rights in the next general election
Media Conference Statement by Loke Siew Fook (Petaling Jaya, Wednesday): The 12 days final countdown has begun for those who are eligible but yet to register as a voter to do so to enable them to vote in the next general election if it is held before December this year. Recently, there are intense speculations that the next general election will be held in the coming September with a Chinese vernacular newspaper openly published the news. Even though that Prime Minister, Datuk Ser Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in an exclusive interview with Mingguan Malaysia last Sunday had firmly said the next general election will be called by the new Prime Minister, the possibility of a snap general election before December this year cannot be ruled out completely. If it is true that election be held before December this year, then the second quarterly update of the electoral roll ending 30th June might the final chance for new voters to be a registered voter in the coming election. Under the new all-year round registration exercise conducted by the Election Commission, the electoral roll will updated every three months namely end of March, end of June, end of September and end of December. However, it will take the EC about two months to complete the process of public display, objection period and gazette before a newly registered voter can exercise their constitutional right.
In other words, those who registered before end of June will be able to vote after August this year but those who register between July and September will only be able to vote after November or early December this year. To be on the safe side, the eligible young voters have now 12 days to do so by going to the nearest post-office to register as a voter before the golden opportunity comes once in every five years to voice up their aspirations and hopes to improve the deteriorating state of democracy in Malaysia through the ballot box.
In the coming general election, there are many pressing issues that should be the main concerns of the young voters. The tabling of the National Service Training Bill 2003 in Dewan Rakyat is a classic example of the Barisan Nasional government misusing their two third majorities in Parliament to bulldoze and implement policy without consider public opinion and adhering to the principle of transparency whatsoever.
The government is not transparent in the National Service Training Bill 2003 in at least three aspects;
1) The government had all the while mentioned that the proposed National Service programme will be implemented for youths who reached 18 years beginning next year but the bill which was tabled yesterday stated that the programme can be applied to all citizens between the age groups of 16-35. Is the government really serious in suggesting that working adults to stop their work for three months to be enrolled into the National Service camp?
2) Najib mentioned two days ago that the National Service intake beginning next year will be carried out through four or five intakes a year and not all 100,000 youths suggested will go through the programme together at any one time. All the while, the public impression was that the programme will be carried out for all youths together for a stipulated period. By having a few intakes a year, it means that the programme intakes will be most probably divided into February, May, August and November intakes. Aren’t this impracticable? What are they going to do before or after the National Service for the remaining of the year? This will totally disrupt their studies plans or for those who are pursuing their studies overseas, this may disrupt their studies for one academic year. For example, if the academic session starts in May and the student is attending the National Service during that period, he or she has to postpone the plan to be enrolled in the next academic year.
3) Until today, after the tabling of the bill for the first reading, no one knows exactly what are the curriculums and modules to be taught in the three-month programme. Are the curriculums and modules of the National Service programme still classified as “Official Secrets” that even Members of Parliament are denied access to the details or the government is trying to rush through the legislation of the programme even though no concrete proposals been put in place for implementation beginning next year?
The whole spirit of the National Service Training Bill 2003 tabled yesterday was not about how to instill or enhance patriotism and national unity but more emphasize was given to legislation and criminal sanctions not only against youths who refuse to attend the programme but even their parents who are not prepared to send their children to the camp and voices who questions the rationale of the programme.
Have we come to a stage where policies of the government cannot be questioned by the people and civil society and even public discourse can be subject to criminal sanctions? These are the basic fundamental questions about our rights as citizens faced by all Malaysians today. Young voters must be prepared to voice up their protests to protect our basic fundamental rights. There is no better way than the ballot box and the 1.5 million eligible young people who have yet to register must do so in the next 12 days to play a role to ensure our democratic system will not deteriorate further by voting a strong opposition and end the two-third majority of the Barisan Nasional in the Parliament which is the prerequisite to good governance in Malaysia.
For this reason, DAPSY will also provide a “telephone call-in service” for registered voters to check their status in the electoral roll. The public can call 03-7957 8022 in the central region, 04-228 8482 in the northern region and 06-336 9429 in the southern region from 10 am to 1 pm on this Saturday, June 21, 2003 to check their voter status. Those who have access to internet can check their status through Election Commission’s website at http://daftar.spr.gov.my (18/6/2003) * Loke Siew Fook, DAPSY National Secretary |