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Saturday, 7 April 2012

EC meets next week over PSC polls reform plan

The New Straits Times
by EILEEN NG

CONSULTATION: Commission has received recommendations, says deputy chairman.

KUALA LUMPUR: THE Election Commission is expected to meet next week to deliberate on a report submitted by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the commission had received the report.

"(The EC) meeting is tentatively next week. It will involve all our panel members.

"We will look into and deliberate each of the recommendations in detail," he told the New Straits Times in a text message yesterday.

Wan Ahmad said the EC wouldissue a statement after its meeting.

On Wednesday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the report would be presented and discussed at the next cabinet meeting.

The cabinet would also look into the committee's suggestion to initiate a permanent PSC to evaluate the implementation of the report.

PSC on Electoral Reforms chairman Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili tabled the final report in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday after after almost six months of meetings and deliberations.

It contained 22 recommendations, of which 18 were agreed to unanimously between the nine-man committee while four recommendations were voted upon.

It was passed without debate due to a minority report issue brought up by the opposition.

Among the recommendations in the electoral reforms report were:

EC given three months to formulate a mechanism to allow overseas voting;
EC recommended to study a proposal to allow "pre-registration" for those who reach the age of 20 to enable them to become automatic voters at 21;
EC recommended to extend the minimum campaign period from seven to 10 days;
EC recommended to observe Article 115 of the Federal Constitution, which can compel any public authority to help the EC, including the ministry and its related agencies, on matters relating to free and fair media access to all contesting parties;
PSC recommends that the EC studies procedures and regulations of other countries in allowing voters to choose between their birth or registered address or place of employment as their voting address;
PSC recommends that a study be carried out on the distribution of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak to ensure the states are fairly represented; and
THE setting up of a caretaker government upon the dissolution of Parliament to oversee the security of the country and the election process.

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