KOTA KINABALU: The Vote Wisely Movement is urging the Election Commission (EC) to extend postal voting rights to Sabahans working and studying in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak ahead of Sabah’s 17th State Election.
The non-partisan movement said over 200,000 Sabahans currently live, work or study outside the State, with many unable to return home to vote due to financial constraints or work commitments.
“If Sabahans can serve, study and build Malaysia from every corner of the country, they should also have the right to help decide Sabah’s future no matter where they are,” said the Vote Wisely Movement.
Under current regulations, postal voting is limited to security forces personnel and Malaysians living overseas, leaving ordinary Sabahans in other states without this option.
The movement noted that more than 55 per cent of Sabah’s registered voters are youth aged 18-39, many of whom are among those living outside the State.
“We talk about empowering youth and building a new Sabah, but many young Sabahans are still denied the most basic power of all the power to vote,” they said.
The Vote Wisely Movement has proposed three practical solutions, namely, digital pre-registration through MySPR, designated ballot centres in major cities like Klang Valley and Kuching and a pilot programme for the Sabah state election.
“Voting is not a privilege. It is a right. Let the Sabah state election be remembered as the election where Sabah finally ensured that no Sabahan is silenced, no youth is excluded and no worker is forgotten simply because they are away from home,” they said.