Stop declaring public holidays during by-election - Gan Ping Sieu

“This smacks of abuse of power and political bribery,” he said in a press statement.

“These are populist announcements tinged with political motives. They border on bad governance and could be construed as a veiled form of political bribery,” he added.

Gan, who is also the MCA vice-president, said in the case of Rompin and Permatang Pauh by-elections, many of its voters work outside the respective states.

He said Rompin has about 53,000 voters, or about 3.8% of Pahang's estimated population of 1.4 million. In Permatang Pauh, there are some 71,000 voters, or about 4.4% of Penang's 1.6 million population.

“In other words, the overwhelming majority of the people who enjoy these holidays do not even vote in the polls,” he said.

READ: Perak declares May 6 a public holiday

Gan said employers are legally bound to give their employees time off to vote or risk being fined up to RM5,000 or one year's jail, under the Section 25 of the Election Offences Act.

“Declaring the day off when we already have one of the highest number of public holidays in the world is counter-productive. It affects productivity and the economy,” he added.

He said according to a World Bank report, Malaysia's Ease of Doing Business Index has improved from 20th in 2014 to 18th this year.

In terms of economic competitiveness, Malaysia is ranked 12th last year, an improvement of three placing from the previous year, he said.

“Declaring public holidays in such a manner means we risk slipping in these rankings,” he warned.

He said the practice goes against the principle of good governance.