Category: Global Bersih

What happens when you ‘kena bantah’?

Lochna Menon

What is ‘Bantahan’? As a check against phantom voters, ordinary citizens may submit an objection or ‘bantahan‘ against a suspicious application to become a voter, such as 70 people living at one address. This is provided for under regulation 15 of the Elections (Registration of Electors) Act. How do you know your application has been ‘dibantah’? When you check here, your status is marked as ‘dibantah’ (objected). What do I do if I kena bantah? Contact SPR’s office to check on the date and time of your inquiry. Find a representative (friend…

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#hungparliament : WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

Lochna Menon

(Scroll down to read the article in Bahasa Malaysia)   The media is abuzz with the term: a#HungParliament. Fret not! Nobody will be hung / hanged out to dry or die. It simply means that there is no political party (or a pre-election alliance or coalition) that wins a ‘simple majority’ – meaning 50% + 1 of the seats – thus will be able to form a government in its own right. What will happen then? Well, many possibilities! [1] But let us look at the process step by step.…

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Interview with Global Bersih : On GE-14

Lochna Menon

Can you please briefly share with us the background of Global Bersih and when was it established? Following the success of Bersih 2 and 3 and catalysed by GE13, Global Bersih was officially formed in 2014 as an NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its primary purpose is to support Malaysian civil society’s campaign for democracy and free and fair elections in a more formal, concerted and co-ordinated approach. All our steering committee members are unpaid volunteers, as is our network of city coordinators. In your opinion, should every Malaysian who…

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M’sians Living Overseas, What You Need To Do If You Want To Vote In GE14 (Malaysian Digest)

Lochna Menon

Over the course several months, there have been heavy speculations that we might not have to wait a full five years for the next General Election (GE). As a matter of fact, the year 2017 kicked off with Malaysians rushing off to the post office to be registered as voters to exercise their right to vote. While those based in Malaysia can easily sign up and perhaps endure a long waiting period as they wait their turn to be registered, the same cannot be said for Malaysians who are based…

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  EC must protect the right of all overseas Malaysians to vote in GE-14

Lochna Menon

  22nd March 2017  EC must protect the right of all overseas Malaysians to vote in GE-14   The Electoral Commission must uphold the right of Malaysians overseas to vote in the upcoming General Elections (GE14) by taking all appropriate and necessary  actions to enfranchise overseas Malaysians in accessing their right to vote, and to ensure a smooth process in registering overseas voters and implementing advance voting ballots for postal voters. There are approximately 1.4 million Malaysians living overseas (source: World Bank).   Under Section 2 of the Election (Registration of…

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EC must protect and defend the right of citizens to register to vote without any hindrance

Lochna Menon

   14th March 2017 EC must protect and defend the right of citizens to register to vote without any hindrance   Global Bersih condemns the misuse of regulation to eliminate phantom voters, to prevent the registration of genuine voters, and calls on the Electoral Commission (EC) to defend the right of citizens to register to vote without any hindrance. A large number of objections to registrations by new voters in Selangor, averaging about 100 cases a day, has been highlighted by Bersih 2.0 which has called on the Electoral Commission (EC)…

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