THE government should review the need to hold a by-election to fill the unexpected vacancies in parliamentary or state assembly seats due to the passing of the incumbent as by-elections are a costly affair.
According to an Utusan Malaysia report, former Election Commission (EC) deputy chief Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the Federal Constitution can be amended to allow the winning party to continue serving the people.
“The EC and the Attorney-General’s Chambers need to study the need in the context of the country’s political democracy,” he told the Malay daily in an interview.
“The existence of the special provision, among other things, gives the responsibility to the winning party of the vacant seat to represent and serve the interests of the constituents in the area until the next general election.”
Wan Ahmad’s proposal comes at a time when the nation is gearing up for yet another by-election, this time for the Pelangai state assembly seat in Pahang.
The Pelangai by-election is called following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Datuk Seri Johari Harun’s death in a plane crash in Shah Alam, Selangor, on Aug 17.
The Election Commission (EC) has set Oct 7 for polling, while the nomination is on Sept 23. Early voting is on Oct 3.
Earlier this month, by-elections were held for the Pulai parliamentary seat and the Simpang Jeram state assembly seat in Johor following the passing of Pakatan Harapan’s Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was the incumbent for both seats.
On Sept 15, six-term Jepak assemblyman Datuk Talib Zulpilip passed away, triggering another by-election. Talib was a former minister in the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Office (Integrity and Ombudsman).
Between 2008 and 2013, Malaysia witnessed 16 by-elections. There were 12 by-elections each during the 2013-2018 and 2018-2022 terms.
According to Wan Ahmad, determining a fixed budget for each by-election has proven to be challenging due to various factors, among them voter numbers, terrain, personnel, transportation and logistics.
For parliamentary by-elections, costs can range from RM4 mil to RM6 mil, while state assembly by-elections can cost from RM1.5 mil to RM3 mil.
Based on these estimated figures, Wan Ahmad said the Finance Ministry would require an allocation of approximately RM120 mil to cover an average of 20 by-elections over the course of three years (as by-elections are not required within the last two years of a parliamentary/state assembly term).
In addition to the EC’s expenses, other government agencies also bear the costs of assisting in conducting by-elections, and in addition, political parties too have to allocate significant funds each time they participate in the polls, he added.
In the context of the political parties’ extreme and excessive activities, Wan Ahmad said pre-election activities are a threat to the order and harmony among the people.
Political parties organise campaign after campaign throughout the year and spread their ideologies through lectures, dakyah and slander while perverse fatwas find their way on social media.
“The country has become restless and unstable and the extreme political climate becomes the source of the country’s prolonged political instability and this situation further affects the economy and is a disadvantage to the people.” – Sept 18, 2023
Main pic credit: Reuters
