Over 2.2 Million New Voters Since 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- Up to 2,270,002 people, a majority of them Malays, registered as voters between 2008 and 2011, the Senate was told Wednesday. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Liew Vui Keong said 155,420 registered in 2008; 279,270 in 2009; 826,462 in 2010 and 1,008,850 in 2011. He was replying to Senator Ng Fook Heng who had asked the prime minister to give the racial breakdown of the people who registered as voters from 2008. Liew said that in 2008, Malays comprised 82,309 of the new voters or 53 per cent, Chinese 29.4 per cent and Indians 8.1 per cent. In 2009, Malays made up 187,828 of the new voters or 67.3 per cent, Chinese 19.8 per cent and Sarawak bumiputeras 4.8 per cent while in 2010, Malays comprised 466,137 of the new voters or 56.4 per cent, Chinese 27 per cent and Indians 6.6 per cent, he said. In 2011, the breakdown was 611,498 or 60.6 per cent Malays, 22 per cent Chinese and 6.7 per cent Indians. Liew said statistics of the Election Commission showed that Selangor registered the highest number of 165,222 voters during that period, followed by Johor (124,240), Perak (96,710), Sabah (86,927), Kedah (84,704), Kelantan (69,344), Penang (64,029), Sarawak (63,305), Kuala Lumpur (61,040), Pahang (59,639), Terengganu (45,190), Negeri Sembilan (42,009), Melaka (31,827), Perlis (9,881), Labuan (2,863) and Putrajaya (1,920). -- BERNAMA