KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Aziz Yusof has clarified that he never meant that only Malaysians abroad who pay taxes in the country be allowed to become postal voters.
He explained that he had only suggested that Malaysians residing overseas might have to fulfil certain conditions before becoming postal voters, as practised by other countries, Bernama has reported.
He pointed out that this was because not all overseas Malaysians were eligible for postal voting.
Currently, only civil servants, full-time students and their spouses living abroad are allowed to vote via post. The EC has said it will amend election laws to open up overseas voting to more Malaysians.
Aziz cited as examples countries which only allowed citizens to become postal voters if they had been abroad for no longer than four or five years and had made a trip home during that period.
“I also gave an example of the practice in the United States where postal voters should be taxpayers. But never did I mention that I will propose that only taxpayers be allowed to become postal voters abroad,” the state news agency quoted him as saying.
Aziz said the pre-conditions for overseas postal voters will be announced later.
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