KUCHING: The mechanism proposed by the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) to accommodate voters living in rural areas must be fool-proof and prevents any cheating or rigging. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (pic) thinks that whatever proposal they come up with to improve the voting process must ensure that those eligible can vote.
“Every eligible voter who can vote must be given the opportunity to vote when election comes. This is a fundamental right of voters.
“I fully support the committee chairman’s comment that a mechanism be introduced to facilitate the system,” he told the New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
Abdul Karim who is also Youth and Sports Minister pointed out that it was a ‘nightmare’ for a lot of Sarawakian youth in urban areas to go back to their villages just to vote. “Some mechanism must be introduced for them to vote.
Many Sarawakians working in Selangor, Johor and Singapore fly back to Sarawak just to cast their votes. It is very costly. “Hopefully, ERC can look into this too. The law could be amended to allow them to vote probably as postal voters,” he said.
