Padang Serai GE15: Employers urged to give time-off for employees to vote

KULIM: Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Dr Mohamad Sofee Razak is appealing to all employers especially in the private sector to allow their workers to cast their votes in the 15th general election (GE15) for Padang Serai parliamentary constituency on Dec 7.

He said the need to carry out the responsibility as a voter should be permitted as the Kedah state government is not declaring a special holiday on the polling day.

"Sometimes, staff need to go out to see a doctor for an hour or so, similarly voting would also take about the same amount of time. So I am seeking the cooperation of employers to allow their workers to vote and not cut their salaries over that.

"Voting is a right of Malaysians guaranteed under the Constitution, which means that every citizen should be given the opportunity to vote," he said when met after the 'Trak Ayuh Malaysia' talk at Taman Selasih here last night.

Yesterday, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the Kedah Government could not consider granting a special holiday on the day of the Padang Serai GE15 polling because it only involved one parliamentary constituency in the state.

The statement was made following Bersatu's information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan's suggestion that the state government declared a special holiday on Dec 7 to make it easier for voters to carry out their responsibilities as polling is held on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Mohamad Sofee also appealed to all voters in the Padang Serai Parliament to go to the polling centres which are open until 6 pm and that period is sufficient for them to carry out their responsibilities.

"Of the voters I met, most of them work in Padang Serai or at least Penang. So, they have enough time to come and I hope they can come early," he said.

The Election Commission (EC) had earlier set the GE15 voting day for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat which has been postponed to Dec 7 with early voting on Dec 3; following the death of Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate M. Karupaiya.

-- BERNAMA