Declaring Malaysia’s polling day a public holiday does not mean that all voters can exercise their right to vote, said electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 in a statement on Thursday, citing concerns about a possible low turnout. The group said that declaring May 9 a public holiday “does not address all the problems” faced by voters, particularly those from Sabah and Sarawak who are residing in Peninsular Malaysia and vice versa, as well as those living overseas such as Singapore, Brunei, Kalimantan and Southern Thailand. The weekday polling date was announced on Tuesday by the Election Commission (EC). It will be the first weekday vote in a general election (GE) since the 1999 polls – 19 years ago.