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THE Election Commission’s (EC) indecision to extend postal voting to Sabahans living outside the state risks depriving thousands of young voters of their constitutional right - many of whom will be sitting for final examinations when Sabah heads to the polls on November 29.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the proposal for postal voting had been raised since last year but remains ignored, even as students studying in Peninsular Malaysia continue to face logistical and financial hurdles to return home to vote.
“I have long urged the EC to consider postal voting to make it easier for our students,” Mustapha said.
“We can learn from Indonesia’s example — their citizens abroad can vote at centralised locations such as PWTC in Kuala Lumpur. The same model can be applied for Sabah voters living in the peninsula,” he told reporters when met at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport yesterday.
He said the upcoming election once again exposed how overlapping academic calendars, particularly at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and polytechnics, place students in a dilemma between education and civic duty.
“This isn’t a new issue. Thousands of our students and workers outside Sabah face the same problem every election,” he said.
Mustapha said the EC’s hesitation was more than just an administrative delay and it was a matter of fairness and representation.
“Our young people shouldn’t have to choose between sitting for exams and exercising their right to vote,” he said.
The EC announced that it has yet to make a decision on proposals to expand postal voting to Sabahans residing elsewhere in Malaysia.
There are approximately 200,000 Sabahans currently in Peninsular Malaysia either for work or study.
For now, those living outside the state must still return in person to cast their ballots on polling day.
Currently, postal voting is limited to Category 1A voters, namely, police and military personnel, election officials, EC members and staff, and media personnel involved in election coverage.
EC chairman Datuk Ramlan Harun said no changes would be implemented for the upcoming state election at this point.
The lack of progress has angered parents and civil-society groups, who say the system effectively excludes out-of-state voters, especially students.
Return flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu now average around RM700, with prices expected to climb further as polling falls on a weekend and overlaps with the year-end travel rush.
A parent from Kota Belud said the cost was unbearable.
“We want our children to vote, but we just can’t afford to send them home for one weekend,” he said.
Meanwhile, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal urged young voters under the Undi18 category who make up more than half of Sabah’s electorate, to come out to vote this November 29 in large numbers despite the obstacles.
“This election will shape Sabah’s future. The voices of our young voters must be heard,” he said. – October 27, 2025