Former Penampang MP Darell Leiking, who is receptive to the idea of mandatory voting, said issues such as voter accessibility should be tackled before such decisions were made.
“Mandatory voting, while it is good, is not an easy position to take. Even more so when there are external factors that have yet to be resolved,” he told FMT.
“I would love for people to be able to vote, but of course, I realise that in Sabah, a lot of places are just unreachable even after (travelling) for a day or two.”
The idea for mandatory voting has gained traction following poor turnout in the August elections in six states. The voter turnout was lower than at the general elections held last November.
The recent by-elections in Pulai and Simpang Jeram have further raised concerns, with turnout rates at 47.3% and 60.85%, respectively.
Leiking, who is the Warisan deputy president, also said that the next step in the potential implementation of mandatory voting could involve scheduling regular elections as it maximises voter turnout and reduces the number of individuals that would be penalised for failing to participate.
“For any government, there should be a fixed time when an election will be held, whatever the circumstance. Unless and until the government or Parliament can enact a law to fix when an election is held, I think compulsory voting will not work.
“I don’t think it is practical unless the entire system is very clear, meaning everybody knows that on that day, there will be an election. There’s a preset date.
“Before mandatory voting can be considered, all the other variables must be determined and made certain.”
Bersih chairman Thomas Fann, meanwhile opposed the introduction of mandatory voting, citing its impracticality and the perceived injustice of penalising those who chose not to comply with such a law.
“At the last election (GE15), we had a voter turnout of almost 75%, which means that more than five million voters didn’t vote,” he pointed out.
“How are we going to collect fines (from them), if we are going to impose a fine? And if you collect a fine, would that be an extra burden on some of these people who are really struggling to earn a living?”
Fann also said that in certain countries offenders were penalised by being delisted from election rolls but this punitive approach might exacerbate their political inaction.
While mandatory voting is implemented in Australia, Fann argued that the 90% average voter turnout there was primarily a result of citizens having a well-developed understanding of their civic responsibilities.
“You want to encourage people through public education. That it is a civic duty for us, as citizens, to come out and vote,” he said.
“Most (Australians) do it because they believe it is their civic duty, not because of the AUD$20 fine. To them, it’s not a big deal. But they’re doing it because it’s their civic duty.”