KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Most Malaysians living abroad won’t be able to vote in the next general election, the Parliamentary Select Committee (PAC) on electoral reforms said today.

Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, who heads the committee said that the Election Commission was still reflecting on the “sets of conditions” on allowing Malaysians living abroad to vote.

“At the moment, it has not been discussed. Overseas Malaysians are not in included in the category of postal voters.

“They have to come back to Malaysia to vote,” the federal minister told reporters here.

Currently, only civil servants, full-time students and their spouses living abroad are allowed to vote via post.

The EC has said it will amend election laws to open up overseas voting to more Malaysians.

DAP MP Anthony Loke, who is part of the PSC told The Malaysian Insider that EC chairman Tan Sri Aziz Yusof clarified during today’s meeting that he never meant that only Malaysians abroad who pay taxes in the country be allowed to become postal voters.

“The was no plan to use it for Malaysia. There are suggestions to set guidelines for overseas voting, but not using taxpayers,” he said.

On January 6 the KL High Court dismissed the application of six Malaysians residing in Britain to be registered as absent voters in the next general election.

Judge Datuk Rohana Yusuf ruled that the applicants “clearly” did not come under the allowed absent voter category.

Meanwhile, Ongkili (picture) informed that the PSC would be wrapping up its findings and table its final recommendations in Parliament on April 2.