BY HAFIZAN TAIB
KUALA LUMPUR, OCT 26: The actions of the Election Commission (EC), by no longer appointing assistant registrars from political party representatives, has compromised the smoothness of registering new voters.
Rasah MP Teo Kok Seong said that this will lead to many eligible voters left unregistered.
He also informed that there are several concerns regarding this matter, but has yet to divulge its true cause.
"Prior to 2014, the appointment of the assistant registrars for voters among representatives of political parties were allowed, but now it is the opposite.
“Previously, EC cooperated well with all political parties, so this decision has raised questions,” he said in his press release at the Parliament lobby on October 26.
Teo raised a question to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak regarding the issue, which was answered by Minister from the Prime Minister Office Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, whose answer raised even more questions.
He said among answers given was that the number of new voters registered from 2013 to 2016 is 798,641, while EC had said that there were about 4.2 million new eligible voters who have not yet registered.
He said it clearly shows that the decision made was to not develop a systematic registration process.
“Among the suggestions were that the public registered at post offices. But problems arise such as the lack of registration forms.
“Those who are eligible as voters are better off with automatic registration to solve this problem,” he said.
