Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs chief operating officer Tricia Yeoh said fixing Wednesday for voting had created unnecessary inconvenience for voters, schools and companies.
In a comment piece on Channel NewsAsia, she said this was the first time the general election was being held on a Wednesday since Malaya’s first election in 1959.
Most polling days have been on a weekend, although some were also held on Mondays or Tuesdays, or across a few days.
Yeoh said while it was commendable that ordinary Malaysians had responded by volunteering to sponsor those who needed money to travel home to vote, or making carpool arrangements, while airlines had announced waivers for flight charges or rebookings and some companies were sponsoring their staff’s travel expenses, it might not be enough.
She noted that voter turnout in the last three general elections was relatively high: 86% in 2013, the highest in a Malaysian general election, 76% in 2008 and 73.9% in 2004.
“However, the last time the election was held on a weekday, in 1999, voter turnout was 69%. Even so, this was a Monday, and a Wednesday polling day would conceivably have a greater impact on lowering voter turnout even further, despite efforts to provide commute.”
She said those who could not afford to give up either their Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to previous work arrangements or meetings that could not be rescheduled would have a much lower incentive to travel back to vote.
“It is also unlikely that blue-collar factory workers in particular, including those working in menial labour, would have the option of taking leave to travel home to vote.”
She said while some companies could close shop for several days, construction projects, which had strict schedules, could not. The same went for factories, eateries, and other service providers, even though polling day was declared a holiday after a public outcry.
“This may impact overseas blue-collar workers working in Singapore the most. A study by financial inclusion group Microfinance Gateway found that the majority of Malaysian work permit holders in Singapore work within the manufacturing and service sectors.
“The majority of the 400,000 Malaysians working in Singapore are in blue-collar jobs, whose salaries average around S$2,500 per month, according to Malaysian news reports.
“These workers are unlikely to be connected to well-intentioned carpooling or funding initiatives active on social media platforms.
“They might therefore simply choose not to have their wages reduced for the chance to vote, especially if they have to cough up their own money for the return journey or if taking additional days off would impact their jobs.”
It was therefore unfortunate, she said, that the Election Commission had decided polling day should be held on a Wednesday
“Even more unfortunate are news reports indicating that a lower voter turnout of 70% could restore a two-third majority to ruling incumbent Barisan Nasional, according to one political analyst, suggesting that the choice of voting day was motivated by a political agenda.”
Yeoh added that unless Malaysians were motivated to travel home to vote by the need for change, a lower voter turnout was likely in GE14.
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