GOPIO Urges Eligible Voters to Register Immediately

Press Release

GOPIO urges Malaysians to register for voting to do so as soon as possible.

The 14th Malaysian general election (GE14) will elect members of the 14th Parliament of Malaysia on or before 24 August 2018. The 13th Parliament of Malaysia will automatically dissolve on 24 June 2018.

GOPIO did a check with the Malaysian Electoral Commission, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia and Malaysians were asked to register for voting as soon as possible, though there is no specific closing date.

The Constitution of Malaysia requires that a general election be held at least once every five years. However, the Prime Minister can ask the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve the Parliament at any time before this five-year period has expired. A general election should be held no later than two months in West Malaysia and three months for East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) after the dissolution of the Parliament.

Malaysians must register for voting and exercise their right as citizens. According to SPRM, eligible voters must go personally to the Registration Centre, along with their Identity Cards. Malaysians can register at all computerized post offices and the headquarters of the Election Commission of Malaysia or State Election offices across the country.

All Malaysians aged 21 years and above are eligible to vote. In the 2013 general election, 13.3 million voters had registered to cast their ballots out of 16 million eligible voters. This shows that there were 2.7 million eligible voters who did not register for voting in the last general election. This is a matter of concern.

Voting is the duty of every citizen in a democratic country. People must register as soon as possible to be able to vote in the 14th General Election. The 3rd quarter registration closes on 30th September and the 4th quarter on 31st December 2016.

GOPIO believes that a higher voter population will have a better voice on the future of the Nation. The next Malaysian General Election can be held in either in 2018, or a year earlier in 2017.

Shashiedharan Chandrasegaran,
Chairman,
GOPIO Information Bureau.