Now, before any of you start protesting against your employers to get a day off to vote, read this.

Harian Metro reported that employers are required to give ample time for employees to go vote on May 9th, however, it is not mandatory for companies to give workers a day off.

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Malaysian Employers Federation’s (MEF) Executive Director, Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, said that employers should not stop employees from fulfilling their duties to vote just because the voting day falls on a weekday.

He told the press,

“Whichever employee who whether intentionally or not stops their employees from leaving work to vote can be fined as much as RM5,000 or be jailed as long as one year under the subsection 25 (3) Election Offences Act 1954, when convicted.

“Besides that, employers also cannot cut or reduce the pay of an employee, or place any sort of penalty for not attending work within a reasonable time frame.”

For those who are voting in a different state, it is not the employer’s responsibility as it is the voter’s own duty to fulfil. If a voter wanted to vote in a nearby area, he or she should have changed their voting location earlier.

“In this case, the employee must realise that being absent for more than 2 hours, the company would have lost 25% productivity.

“Nonetheless, if the employer can give leniency, the employee may take their annual leaves to allow themselves to vote with ease and without having to rush back to the office.”

So, for those of you who are questioning your bosses about a day off, remember that they are not required to give the whole day off to you but they must not stop you from casting your vote.

Also, please remember to cast your vote as every single one matters!