Proxy Voting? Why not implement automatic voter registration?

Election Commission recently announced that they are considering the implementation of proxy voting here in Malaysia.

Now as much as I've always been skeptical about the EC, this is actually a pretty good idea mooted by them.

What is a proxy vote actually? Proxy voting means that in the event one person cannot cast their ballot on the Election Day, that person may apply to appoint another person to cast his ballot for him.

the benefits? it simply provides alternative to voters to cast their votes. in fact it is pretty noble of the EC to put the interest of the voters first.

however, before we take an extra step to help the current voters to better cast their votes, why not help the non-registered voters first? before we reinforce the current values of having a better voting process, why dont we fight and lobby for the right to be a voter without being registered?

In Switzerland citizens who attained the age of 18, is automatically registered as a voter. This is good, as firstly, it throws away the hassle of getting yourself registered and secondly, it saves administrative costs and time in processing the registration.

Here in Malaysia, it is not easy to register as a voter. To do so you will need to either go to any Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) state offices (only 1 office in every state), or look for a post office, or ultimately look for a Assistant Registrar who is appointed by the SPR (on the recommendations of every political parties and a number of NGOs)

From my experiences, most people will avoid Post offices. Simply because its too time consuming to get a number and wait for your turn to get yourself registered. Half of them wont even consider SPR offices as its simply too inconvenient. and so many are dependable on Assistant Registrars who normally open registration booths in shopping malls, pasar malam or any other crowded public places.

and even if you do get yourself registered, you will need to wait for at least 5-6 months before you're registered into the system. and there are no other ways to check the status of the registration other than waiting impatiently for 6 months. and after 6 months, these voters have to re-register themselves if they cant find their names here.

Hence, the current options provided to voters are simply too insufficient. and implementing automatic voters registration will eradicate these problems. so before the EC suggests any new ideas to expand the current system, i think its better for them to consider improving it first.

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on another note, Khairy is a bankrupt politician for trying to steal the limelight when Anwar challenged PM Najib for a debate. Khairy claimed that Anwar is not at Najibs "level", and that it will be good enough for Anwar to debate him instead.





pic taken from MsianInsider


Just to clarify certain things, it is Khairy himself who is not at Anwar's level. By convention, the opposite of the Prime Minister will be the Opposition leader in Parliament. Hence it is justified for Anwar to issue the challenge to Najib, instead of issuing to other people such as the UMNO Youth Chief. and why would Anwar want to debate with an outgoing Member of Parliament anyway?

funniest thing is, after PKR Youth agreed to send Rafizi Ramli to debate with Khairy instead, Khairy kept a complete silence on this issue.

so who's the coward?