I support the calls for electoral reform put forward by Sarawak civil society groups, especially the systemic reform of postal voting.
1. The Election Commission must finalise the delineation of Sarawak’s 17 new state seats by July 2027. It must uphold the credibility of the electoral system and strictly adhere to the Thirteenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, which requires “approximately equal” numbers of voters per constituency. The widely rumoured new urban-rural seat proposal must not be allowed, where the voter ratio would be as extreme as nearly 1:7.
2. I value the equal voting rights of Sarawakian voters and stand with their demands for postal voting. Postal voting will effectively resolve the issue faced by East Malaysian voters working and studying in Peninsular Malaysia, who are effectively denied their voting right due to the prohibitive cost of air travel. Many Sarawakians also reside and work in Johor. This also extends to hundreds of thousands of eligible Malaysian voters overseas, as well as relatively a smaller number of West Malaysian voters residing in East Malaysia.
3. Expanding eligibility for postal voting and reforming the postal voting system have long been demands of Global Bersih movements. The postal voting arrangements in past general elections have drawn heavy criticism from overseas voters, particularly over insufficient time to return ballots to Malaysia and the high cost of international courier services. I propose that the Election Commission adopt electronic voting. In this era of advanced digital technology, the security of electronic voting can be sufficiently guaranteed.
4. The Election Commission must uphold the principle that Every Vote Counts to defend the civic rights of all voters. It must ensure that Sarawakian voters and overseas voters are not effectively denied their voting right simply because they cannot afford expensive airfares or international courier fees.