COMMENT | Reforms for safer and fairer polls in Batu Sapi

COMMENT | Malaysia faces a difficult situation ahead: constitutionally it is required to hold elections within sixty days in the case of Batu Sapi by-election and within the time frame before Aug 7, 2021, in the case of Sarawak state polls.

Despite the well-meaning calls by health professionals, including Health Minister director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah to postpone polls for public health, the legal requirements suggest that polls have to be held within these time frames.

Polls in Batu Sapi are already scheduled for Dec 5 with nomination day on Nov 23. This parliamentary seat is important for the overall competitive count for a national government majority. It also poses serious challenges for a safe and fair poll.

Rethinking proposed reforms

To address the need for safer elections, Bersih 2.0 and other groups have called for procedural reforms. These calls have been in place for some time and were made before the Sabah state elections as well, as concerns were raised about the safety of the polls during Covid-19...