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Voters no longer listed according to race
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 The Straits Times
MALACCA - VOTERS who are registered with the Election Commission (EC) will no longer be divided according to race, the New Straits Times (NST) daily reported yesterday. Instead they will be listed as 'Malaysians', it added. In previous elections, the published EC data for a constituency will show the number of voters and also their racial background - a useful guide in Malaysia's race-based politics on where to contest. But the latest electoral roll showed only the number of voters in a particular constituency minus their race, a source said.

'We are all Malaysians who are eligible to vote when we reach the age of 21. We do not see why we should divide voters by race into Malays, Chinese, Indians and Others in the electoral roll,' the source said.

The opposition parties have not commented on the issue.

It is understood that the decision not to profile voters according to race was made by EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, NST said.

The EC, an agency in the Prime Minister's Department, conducts elections and byelections in Malaysia.

There is widespread expectations that the general election could be called by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in the next few weeks, in what could be a racially-charged election campaign.

This is because Malaysia has been roiled by a number of controversies linked to race and religion over the past two years, including a major street protest by ethnic Indians last November demanding equal rights in education and jobs.