More than half of 16,000 eligible voters do not have MyKads and many have been given the runaround by the state government when applying for one.
PETALING JAYA: Thousands of Penans will be unable to vote in the Sarawak election this Saturday because they do not have MyKads.
Only 10% of the state’s 16,000 Penans will be able to go to the polls, although more than half of them are eligible to vote.
Borneo Research Institute (Brimas) spokesperson Raymond Abin said that the government gave many Penans the runaround in issuing MyKads to them.
“It takes years for the Penans just to get their identity cards,” he said.
Abin alleged that this was because the government knew that the Penans would not vote for Barisan Nasional.
“There are many Penans who are qualified as voters, but because of their lack of documents such as MyKads and ICs, they are not able to vote.”
The indigenous rights activist added that even Penans with MyKads were given a hard time over voting registration.
“In Belaga, if you look at the electoral roll in areas like Lusong Laku, you will see big numbers of Penans who are qualified to vote, but cannot do so,” Abin said.
Abin estimated that there were more than 300 Penans currently living in Lusong Laku.
Facing hefty penalties
Indigenous rights organisation, Survival International, said that Penans were being hindered by government officials from getting their MyKads.
“ICs are free to Malaysians who apply before the age of twelve, but most Penans apply as adults and face penalties,” Surival International said in a press statement.
“Corrupt officials and middlemen also routinely charge the Penans fees of up to RM300 when they apply.”
“Many Penan have applied several times, making long, expensive journeys to the towns each time, before giving up.”
One Penan told Survival International: “It’s very difficult for us to own an IC. We don’t know why, but it’s not that we don’t apply. We have applied many times.”
Survival International campaigner Miriam Ross accused the state government of denying the Penan their right to MyKads as Malaysian citizens, and in doing so, their right to vote.
“The failure of the Sarawak government to include Penans as Malaysian citizens, it’s not unreasonable to conclude that Taib does not want them to vote.”
Phantoms voters in the interior
In a related matter, Abin claimed that there were phantom voters hiding in the Sarawakian electoral rolls.
“If you look at the electoral roll, there are so many phantom voters. They are not Penans, but come from other places,” said Abin.
“In one of the lists, there is a person who was born in 1905, making him more than 100 years old!”
Abin also said that the state government is likely to take advantage of electoral discrepancies to gain a victory when the state goes to the polls on April 16.
Over the years, many Penans in the interior have seen their livelihoods destroyed due to wanton logging by timber companies linked to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.
They have also been forced to move into resettlement schemes brought about by the state’s numerous hydroelectric dam projects.
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