The Right to Vote

Citizens, the Election Commission appears to be playing around with your right to vote. Either that, or the national news agency BERNAMA has got it wrong.

I can't seem to decide either way.

Well, read this first.

Voters Without MyKad Lose Right To Vote

MELAKA, July 15 (Bernama) -- Voters who have not changed their old identity card to MyKad are advised to do so or risk not being able to vote in the coming general election.

Election Commission (EC) secretary Datuk Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor said the EC had decided that the electoral roll contain the names of only voters with identity cards (MyKad) bearing 12-digit numbers in line with the National Registration Department's policy.

"The old ICs have eight-digit numbers and have been removed from the list."About 24,000 voters have yet to change their old identity cards to MyKad and they are advised to do so soon after which they are to renew their registration with EC," he told reporters after the launching of a voter registration exercise here.

He said the electoral roll, which had been updated from April to June this year, would be displayed at 866 locations nationwide between July 18 and 28.He advised voters to check their names in the list for verification, adding that they could also check the electoral roll on the EC website at www.spr.gov.my.-- BERNAMA

Now, we have had our identity cards with the 12 digit numbers for a while now and I don't see why one has to change to the MyKad to get those numbers. The old identity card went the way of the dodo nearly more than a decade ago.

After all, only the citizens can disenfranchise themselves the right to vote by not registering to vote. But this, from the mouth of an election commission official, is just too much to bear.

So, who is stupid? Election Commission? BERNAMA? Maybe we are all with stupid!