KUCHING, March 27 2026: Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament Dr Kelvin Yii (picture) has called on the Election Commission (EC) to expedite the necessary voting reforms to ensure that all Sarawakians, including those in Peninsular Malaysia, vote in the coming state election.
“There are estimated over 200,000 registered Sarawakian voters residing in Peninsular Malaysia, consisting of students, workers, and families who are constitutionally entitled to vote, yet face prohibitive barriers,” Dr Yii said in a statement.
“For many, returning home is not a simple flight to Kuching or Sibu; it means additional boat rides, four-wheel-drive journeys into the interior, days of travel, and costs that can exceed a month’s salary,” he explained.
He said students must skip classes, workers must sacrifice leave or risk employment, stating that “when we require citizens to pay such a steep price to vote, we are, in effect, imposing a wealth and mobility test on their constitutional rights.”
He said Sarawakians in the peninsula should be allowed to vote through postal voting to eliminate those obstacles, adding that it would convert a disenfranchising ordeal into a simple act of casting a ballot from one’s place of residence.
“Moreover, with the implementation of automatic voter registration, the number of out station Sarawakian voters will only grow, “ Dr Yii said, pointing out that to choose to ignore reforms is to knowingly suppress turnout among a significant segment of the electorate.
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