PETALING JAYA: Voters who contract Covid-19 may have provisions in place to help them exercise their right to vote in the 15th general election.
Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry was discussing with the Election Commission to prepare a safe voting protocol for Covid-19 patients.
According to Khairy, Covid-19 is here to stay and the voters’ rights should not be denied.
“I told my officers, Covid-19 will remain. If we disallow them (the voters) to vote, that means we deny their constitutional rights.
“Therefore, we are thinking of the best way for them to vote,” Berita Harian quoted him as saying.
Among the options the ministry is looking into are allowing postal voting for Covid-19 patients, and appointing guardians to accompany the patients to the polling station.
Asked if it is time to hold a general election amid more leeway for the economic and social sectors, Khairy said the ministry had to look into the possible mutation of the virus before making any suggestions.
“It’s too early to summarise where the pandemic is headed in three to six months. Indeed we will face GE15, so we have to look at the best time to do so.
“We have to do it (GE15) when the risk (of Covid-19 spread) is low because the election process involves many people who go out to campaign and vote,” he said.
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