KUCHING: It is timely for the Election Commision (EC) to start looking at online voting as an alternative method for voters to exercise their rights, says Prof Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman.
In stating this, the political analyst said things could be more simplified compared to before with the advancement of technology.
“The EC should move on from the traditional way and go for online voting. If they are not ready for it in this election, we can go for postal vote to ease the voting process for those who are not in their home state.
“When we have been talking about digitalisation of this and that, why are we still sticking to traditional voting as if we are in the 40s or 50s and not bother to look into the possibility of having online voting?
“Moving to an online platform with certain measures in terms of its confidentiality and security, it will solve all cost reduction problems. All you’ll need from thereon are the officials that will monitor and coordinate the number of votes in the office.
“Moreover, through this platform, we can obtain the results almost instantly,” he said when contacted by the New Sarawak Tribune on Today (Oct 17).
In light of this, Mohd Fadzil said that he had tested the online voting method through the voting of the Student Representative Council in UNIMAS.
“We used to use the traditional way similar to the one that the EC are doing and it took so much time as we had to recount the votes a few times and only manage to be done with it at 1 am or 2 am.
“Once we moved to e-voting, there was no more vote counting until late. And by 5pm, we managed to get the result already.
“For that, I don’t see any problem why the EC should not move to online voting. Now, most of the Malaysians are literate. Get into the new trend as e-voting is a mechanism that saves time and money,” he said.
Adding on, Fadzil also pointed out that online voting can also ease the citizens in exercising their duty.
“When we have this platform, whether it rains or floods or wherever they are, the voters are still able to vote in the comfort of their homes. It will take less than five minutes.
“For that, I once again call for the EC to move on from their traditional voting method and go for online voting instead,” he reiterated.
Today, Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah urged the EC to look into setting up more forward looking alternatives for electors to cast their votes.
He said that the flight tickets are costly and the EC is not making it easy for the voters from outside their home states to return and exercise their rights.
“The EC can look into digitalising casting of the votes. If we can trust the online banking system, why can’t the EC trust and create such a system to be used for voting?
“I would like to see a more advanced system to be used. That is the way forward. EC jangan tidur (EC don’t sleep). You have to look into a more forward looking (alternative) that can create a better election system,” he said.
