GIVING money in the form of a donation or paying for bus tickets during the election season is against the law according to the Election Offences Act 1954 because it has the potential to influence votes in favour of the candidate involved.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Tan Sri Azam Baki stressed that voters must be aware of their rights along with their responsibility to return and vote without expecting someone to pay for their tickets.
According to Azam, saying that one does not want to travel home to vote if their tickets are not paid for is not a viable excuse as it is their responsibility and right to vote without being coerced by any candidate.
“It is our right to vote and if we were paid to do that, it is against the law because there is no sincerity in the election.
“You can’t even promise anyone a position to vote for anything, so if everyone is given money, of course that candidate will win,” he said during a livestream titled “Tamu Kito” on NEGERIfm Official’s Facebook page today (July 27).
Azam said that candidates or their agents are not allowed to send voters to their voting stations as it is considered a form of service.
“Be careful if you commit a crime because there are many people who can file a complaint and have their victory overturned if it is proven.
“Even if all of the candidates decide to prepare a bus, what will happen when the voters are inside…we don’t know what happens inside and how they can influence the voters to vote for someone,” he said, adding that MACC is not to be blamed if action is taken because they are merely following existing laws.
“We want to be strong; we want a leader who is free of the elements involved so that we do not become a corrupt community. When the mindset is corrupt, a corrupt leader is chosen.
“My advice to the voters, if there are any offers of any incentives to vote for a specific person, please report the matter to MACC to create a healthy [voting] culture,” Azam said.
He went on to say that voters should cultivate a disdain for corruption in order to keep the country from ending up in chaos due to corruption especially among those in power. – July 27, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/ NEGERIfm Official
