BRUSSELS (Jan 19): Malaysians living abroad must have the same right to vote in elections as those at home, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The prime minister said he had raised the issue of postal voting for overseas Malaysians with the Election Commission (EC).

“The EC is an independent body… but I have raised this matter to them. They must give opportunity to every single Malaysian to vote,” he said during a gathering with about 200 members of the Malaysian diaspora here on Sunday.

Anwar, who arrived on Sunday (Jan 19) for a two-day working visit to Belgium, said this when asked about the difficulties faced by Malaysians abroad during elections in their home country.

“I even said don’t go through the embassy (for the voting process). Use some mechanism so people can come and vote, even if it means adding extra funds for this,” he said, adding that the EC was receptive to his suggestion.

To a question on whether the Malaysian government was giving priority to green technology and forestation, Anwar said that was one of the main agendas of the present administration.

“Europe has destroyed all (its) forests, don’t tell us to learn from them. Our forest (cover) is at 54% now (and), in fact, our green lungs have increased. Last year, we planted one million trees as part of our forestation campaign,” he said.

He added that Malaysia and its Asean partners are focusing on the Asean grid, which generates not only hydropower but also power from solar and other renewable sources.

“We have 140,000 foreign students in our universities. I have visited many developing countries, and their leaders want to send their students and officers to learn from us, in fields like semiconductors,” he said.

To enhance the standard of education in Malaysia, Anwar said the government is working in tandem with the industry, which means new disciplines and technologies must be acquired.

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