The electoral watchdog said the EC must prepare at least one mass voting centre in each state.

“We urge the EC to allow Sarawakians living in the peninsula to vote without having to fly back to the constituencies where they are registered,” it said in a statement.

Yesterday, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah consented to the revocation of the proclamation of emergency for Sarawak, which was promulgated on Aug 2 this year.

In a statement, Istana Negara announced that the King’s consent was given in accordance with Articles 40 and 40(1A) of the Federal Constitution.

The revocation of the emergency proclamation will pave the way for the 12th Sarawak state election, as the natural tenure of the state government expired on June 6 this year.

Bersih also urged the health ministry to work with the EC to facilitate safe voting and campaigning, instead of taking the draconian measure of banning all physical election-related activities, as what was done for Melaka.

It also called for the EC to be proactive in facilitating alternative safe ways of election campaigning for all candidates and political parties.

One of the ways it suggested was for the EC to get all state-owned media, namely RTM and Bernama, to provide equal air time to all political parties.

Another suggestion is for a debate to be held among chief minister candidates and ensure fair news coverage for all candidates and political parties.

“This is extremely important especially in the interior areas of Sarawak where radio and television are the main source of information for the rakyat,” it said.