KOTA KINABALU: Some 250,000 Sarawakian voters living outside their state will likely miss the chance to vote in the 12th state election this month.
United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said that apart from the high cost of flying home to vote, there was an issue of lack of absentee voting facilities for the polls in other parts of the country.
Madius questioned the Election Commission (EC) for the lack of action over the last 21 months.
"So why has the EC been sleeping for the past 21 months? When will they wake up?" he asked in a statement today.
Madius said when Upko demanded absentee voting for the Sabah election last September, the EC said it was not ready.
"Will it be ready for GE15? Or should Sarawakians and Sabahans just expect their diasporic votes to be forever suppressed and regret why their grandparents did not outright tell the Cobbold Commission in 1962 that they outright rejected the Malaysian proposal?"
He said that during the Indonesian election, the Indonesian voters who worked in Malaysia could queue up and vote in the Indonesian embassy.
"Why can't we have advance voting centres in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Penang and Kota Kinabalu where Sarawakian diasporas are mostly domiciled, so that our Sarawakian brothers and sisters can just queue up and vote a few days in advance before Dec 18?
"In fact, we can even have this in the main cities to reduce the need for inland voters to travel home?"
Madius added: "If our Health Ministry can set up vaccination centers (PPV) to bring protection to every eligible citizen, why can't the EC bring the right to vote to every diasporic Sarawakian in Malaya and Sabah? Why is it so difficult?"
He demanded that absentee voting rights be introduced before the 15th general election (GE15) so that Sarawakians and Sabahans who live outside their respective states, do not have to choose between their vote or spending money to fly home to vote.
"Otherwise, introduce party-less seats in Parliament so that Sarawakians and Sabahans outside of their home state land can still vote for parties that champion their aspiration," he suggested.
According to an estimate, at least 250,000 out of 1,252,014 voters in Sarawak are living in the peninsula, Sabah and Labuan.
"That means one in every five voters from Sarawak is expected to fly home before Dec 18 to vote, just a week before Christmas, or give up their right to decide their home region's future for the next five years.
"Can you imagine the size of 250,000 voters? If they are shipped by an Airbus A320 with 160 passengers on board, that will take 1,560 flights one way," he said in a statement.
He said even if airlines operated 30 flights a day at full capacity from Kuala Lumpur to major cities in Sarawak, it would take 52 days, or 7.5 weeks, to fly Sarawakians back to their state.
"Why does this not concern the chairman of the EC and the Sarawak state government? Because they know most Sarawakians just cannot afford to go home," he said.
Madius also pointed out the cost of a flight ticket, which is around RM1,200 - was the minimum wage in Malaysia.
"If RM 1,200 is multiplied by 250,000 voters, that's RM300,000,000 in total," he said.
"If you are from Kabong, Kerian, Pelagus, Telang Usan or Ba'Kelalan but are now working or studying in Kuala Lumpur, would you go home to vote?
"If you have planned your home trip for Christmas or New Year, would you have enough money to buy another ticket? Alternatively, would your boss or university allow you to be away for two weeks?
"Should you be deprived of your right to vote, to decide the fate of your village and home region, simply because you cannot afford it?"
With the Covid-19 pandemic, travelling home on public transport increases the risk of infection. And interstate travelers may also have to go through quarantine in the event of sudden spikes, making it harder for voters to travel home even if they can afford the airfare, he said.
"I hope all parties in Sarawak will highlight the outrageous absence of absentee voting facilities for diasporic 250,000 Sarawakians.
"We must shout out loudly so that the Federal Government and the EC can wake up from their sleep," he said.
Today is the nomination day for the 12th Sarawak election. Early voting will take place on Dec 14 and polling is on Dec 18.