KUCHING, March 27 — Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen has called on the Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) to fast-track key electoral reforms, including the introduction of postal voting for Sarawakians residing in Peninsular Malaysia.
He said the ongoing electoral redelineation exercise in Sarawak presents a critical opportunity for the EC to implement broader changes to ensure that all eligible voters, regardless of geography or socioeconomic background, can participate meaningfully in elections.
Yii stressed that democracy should not only be judged by the act of voting, but by how accessible the process is to citizens.
“Thousands of Sarawakians are effectively excluded from voting not by law, but by geography, cost and outdated processes,” he said in a statement today.
He highlighted that more than 200,000 registered Sarawakian voters are currently living in Peninsular Malaysia, including students and workers who face significant financial and logistical challenges in returning home to vote.
“For many, it is not just a flight to Kuching or Sibu. It involves additional travel into rural interiors, sometimes taking days and costing more than a month’s salary. This places an unfair burden on their constitutional right to vote,” he added.
Yii argued that implementing postal voting would remove these barriers and significantly increase voter participation, particularly as the number of outstation voters continues to grow following the introduction of automatic voter registration.
He also pointed to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that Malaysia’s reliance on physical polling stations exposes the electoral process to risks during public health crises.
Citing the 2020 Sabah state election, which saw a spike in infections, Yii said future elections must be better safeguarded.
“A well-designed postal voting system would allow elections to proceed without mass gatherings, protecting both voters and poll workers while ensuring democratic participation continues uninterrupted,” he said.
Yii added that many countries have successfully implemented secure postal voting systems with identity verification and tracking mechanisms, and Malaysia should adopt similar safeguards.
Referring to Federal Constitution of Malaysia Article 119, he stressed that every qualified citizen has the right to vote, regardless of their location.
“The principle of ‘one citizen, one vote’ is undermined if citizens are effectively disenfranchised due to distance or cost,” he said.
He urged the EC to not only conduct the redelineation exercise fairly and in accordance with the law, but also to expedite the gazettement of regulations enabling postal voting in time for the upcoming Sarawak state election and future general elections.
“The right to vote is the bedrock of democracy. Postal voting is a practical and long-overdue reform that will make our elections more inclusive, resilient and just,” he added.
