Nur Jazlan: GE14 Unaffected By Overseas Voters As They Make Up Less Than 0.1%
The politician tweeted that, "It won't change any result."
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 07 May 2018, 01:52 PM
Malaysians abroad who have yet to receive their ballot papers in the mail, or who received them late, have expressed their concern that their votes will not be counted for GE14
Since the campaigning period for GE14 is 11 days and ballot papers can only be printed on the first day of campaigning, there is a small window of time for overseas voters to receive their ballots and deliver them back to their constituencies by 5pm on 9 May.
Many took to social media to express their frustration, as well as brainstorm solutions as to how to deliver as many postal votes back to Malaysia in time for election day.
Twitter user @dhirennn93 asked caretaker deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed on Sunday to share his two cents on the plight of overseas voters
Jazlan responded by saying that people should not get "excited" as postal voters only make up a small percentage of overall voters
When netizens got wind of Jazlan's tweet, several wrote to him arguing that voting is a constitutional right regardless of whether postal voters are considered the minority
Twitter user @neorackle replied the Pulai candidate saying that, "Every vote counts," while @vinodlaxmikanth wrote that, "It is not about the rights of the majority but the rights of everyone."
Hours after his first tweet, Jazlan took to Twitter to address the matter again. He wrote that the actual figure of overseas voters is less than he initially thought, reiterating his earlier statement that people should not "get excited about it".
Netizens responded by reminding Jazlan that Malaysians abroad still have a right to vote in every election.
Twitter user @shaminiamnesty replied saying that, "The issue is not about the numbers. The issue is about our right to vote, the right to partake in a democratic process, and the right to have a say in how our country is run."