PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission (EC) has made voter education its primary mission for the year 2020, and will conduct voting simulation so that Form 4 students are made aware of the voting process.
EC chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said a trial run was conducted last year and was well received, so the commission will conduct the election simulation at all 2,400 secondary schools in Malaysia.
“The module for the simulation is ready. We will make the module public to ensure there is no accusation that we are indoctrinating the students,” he said at a press conference after receiving the parliamentary select committees for election and public appointments today.
He also said the district offices of EC will conduct the modules at all the secondary schools in Malaysia as part of their Civic and Citizenship education syllabus.
On another matter, Azhar said the tender for the automatic voter registration system for those who have turned 18 has been awarded and the process will be announced in the immediate future.
“Our target is to roll it out by mid next year, but we will hasten the process as we have identified that there are two million new voters since the constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18,” he said.
On the suggestion by the election reform committee that the role of the EC could be shrunk whereby other agencies could be set up to conduct exercises such as the re-delineation, Azhar said he supports any move that can improve the conduct of the EC.
“I do not know the details behind the suggestion, but if it can improve the electoral process, I’m all in,” he said.
