GE15: EC can only postpone no later than Dec 9 - Thomas Fann
Bersih chief Thomas Fann said the Election Commission (EC) will only be able to postpone the 15th General Election (GE15) no later than Dec 9 which is 60 days after the dissolution of the Parliament. Photo - BERNAMA
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SHAH ALAM - Bersih chief Thomas Fann said the Election Commission (EC) can only postpone the 15th General Election (GE15) to no later than Dec 9, which is the 60th day after the dissolution of the Parliament.
He said the risk of floods would be higher then and that the only way to postpone the election would be through a declaration of national emergency by the King.
“The only way to postpone beyond Dec 9 to next year would be through a declaration of national emergency by the Agong.
"Even if it doesn't flood and the election is not postponed, a heavy downpour on Nov 19 would discourage some voters and we expect a lower turnout than otherwise expected,” he told Sinar Daily when contacted.
Commenting further, he said if floods occur on the polling day, some of the polling centres will be inaccessible and the EC has to postpone voting for those centres.
“But if many centres or even a whole state is affected, the EC had to postpone the whole election as we cannot have a situation where a large number of constituencies vote later as their voting choices would be influenced by the few remaining seats,” he added.
Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal said that there should be transport provided to ferry the flood-affected voters to the voting stations.
He believed that the relevant agencies have contingencies to ensure people situated at the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) go out and vote.
“The bottom line is that everything possible needs to be carried out to assist people who want to vote.
“However, I do believe polling will continue with no or minimal disruption due to flooding because so far, the flood situation is sporadic and is not widespread,” he said.
Weighing on the same issue, political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said that unless transportation such as boats is provided, the voters will choose their safety over going out to vote.
“Unless there are boats to take them to a safer voting location, many who are affected will not be prioritising voting to stay safe,” he said.
He added that the flood catastrophe will definitely have a toll on the voter turnout, especially in the affected areas.
As for the public reaction to the situation, Kiran Raj, 23, said that politicians should always prioritise the welfare and safety of the rakyat before their own political interest as the people’s representatives.
He also opined that the politicians would be able to see and experience the mess that they have caused by having the general election during the monsoon period.
“Even though I believe that elections are needed for political stability and the country's prosperity, holding elections during flood season is a strong no from me.
He added that, up until now, there has not been any significant contingency plan from the government agencies on how to encounter floods during the election period.
“I strongly believe that the political infights among the government coalition political parties have led to the sudden execution of the general election as we still had the time to run the nation until next year before dissolving the parliament,” he said.
Sofia Zaidi, 26, said that some politicians were trying to gain votes through the sympathy of the voters by conducting their campaigning in the rain.
The social media user said that was one of their ‘cheap moves’ for the voters to see their efforts.
“When voters see their ‘hardship’ and effort to campaign, some of them will feel like they’re doing so much for them.
“But for me, it's a selfish and cheap way to promote themselves,” she said.
However, she said since the poll is happening, the voters will still need to go out and vote.
Meanwhile, Aidiel Zabidi, 25 said health and safety matter the most.
However, for a better future for the country, the decision should be up to the voters.
“I believe, there is no such thing as a ‘very appropriate time for election’ in a year.
“Yet, this should be the best time as Malaysia is currently in the phase of Covid-19 endemic transition and the voters are no longer scared of the virus outbreak, compared to the past three years.
“But best believe, both politicians and the voters’ biggest concern is the floods,” he said.
