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GE-14: GENERAL ELECTION ON WORKDAY? HOW TO GO TO WORK? KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

On 10 April 2018, Tan Sri Mohd Hashim bin Abdullah announced that the 14th General Election will fall on Wednesday, 9th May 2018 which we all know is a workday. This begs the question:

“If I need to go to work, How to go and vote?”

Worry not, as a working voter, your employer is mandated by law to allow you sufficient time to go an vote and your employer CANNOT deduct your salary or offset your annual leave.

This matter has been set out in Section 25 of the ELECTION OFFENCES ACT 1954 which states as follows:

Employers to allow employees reasonable period for voting

25. (1) Every employer shall, on polling day, allow to every elector in his employ a reasonable period for voting, and no employer shall make any deduction from the pay or other remuneration of any such elector or impose upon or exact from him any penalty by reason of his absence during such period.

(2) This section shall extend to employees of the successor company as defined in section 2 of the Railways (Successor Company) Act 1991 [Act 464] and the Sabah Railway except such as are actually engaged in the running of trains and to whom such time cannot be allowed without interfering with the manning of the trains; and the General Manager, shall, in each case, be deemed to be the employer of such employees.

(3) Any employer who, directly or indirectly, refuses, or by intimidation, undue influence, or in any other manner, interferes with the granting to any elector in his employ, of a reasonable period for voting, as in this section provided, shall on summary conviction be liable to a fine of five thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for one year.

(4) This section shall not extend to such categories of employees as the Election Commission may from time to time by notification in the Gazette designate.

(5) This section shall be binding on the Government of Malaysia and the Government of each State.

(6) In this section, “employer” has the same meaning as in the Employment Act 1955 [Act 265].

As such GO OUT AND VOTE, don’t worry about your salary or annual leave being deducted!