Co-chair of the multi agency task force for COVID-19, Lawrence Wong has indicated that there is no reason why Singaporeans from other other countries cannot come back to vote for the general elections on July 10.
He said, “I mean, so whether it’s in Malaysia, whether you’re in any other country, if you would like to vote, and you want to vote, then come back and vote.” He went on to elaborate that there were separate arrangements in place for them to vote even if they are on Stay Home Notices (SHN).
However easy Wong wants to make the voting for Singaporeans residing overseas seem, the reality is that it isn’t quite as simple as the above.
For example, there might be isolation policies imposed by the countries in which they reside as well. This means that on top of the quarantine period in Singapore, they could also face a further two week quarantine procedure when they go back to their country of residence.
In other words, two weeks SHN in Singapore and a further two weeks back at their country of residence. For the majority of people, missing 4 weeks of work is just not a realistic possibility. This means that they will be forced to give up their right to vote by circumstances created by the Singapore Government whose intentions to hold the general election at this time of a global pandemic have been questioned.
Is this fair?
A way to circumvent this quagmire is to introduce postal voting. This was however rejected by the Government on the grounds of confidentiality (despite the fact that many countries have already introduced this without any confidentiality breaches).
It also seems completely ridiculous that there should be no polling stations in Malaysia given the fact that there are so many Singaporeans living in Malaysia.
While in normal circumstances, it might well be easy for Singaporeans to return home to vote, this is no normal time. Singaporeans who are desirous of voting could well be unable to make the trip if they do not wish to expose themselves to airline or public coach travel at a time when the pandemic is raging. And what about Singaporeans who are elderly or have health concerns and are unable to make the trip home?
Is the Government penalising Singaporeans for living overseas? According to the statistics from the government, there were 212,500 based overseas back in 2011. There is likely more of such fellow Singapoeans today.
The flippant way in which Wong dealt with overseas voters could be construed almost as if the Government is dissuading overseas Singaporeans from voting.
Many Singaporeans have expressed a desire for the Government to postpone the general election till the pandemic was more under control to no avail. The Government has cited reasons ranging from a breach of Constitution (despite the Constitution having been amended on numerous occasions) to the need to get the general election out of the way in order for the Government to focus on stabilising the country.
For a country that still has active community cases and whose Elections Department has imposed mask and glove requirements as part of the voting procedure, one could be forgiven for wondering how holding a general election in such circumstances could possibly lead to greater stability.
Looking at the situation as a whole, holding the general election now could possibly risk lives and limit the voter base while creating a logistical monster with safe distancing measures and the like – wouldn’t it be much simpler to just postpone the general election?
