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FORMER Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has urged the Election Commission (EC) to find ways for Sabahans living outside the state to exercise their democratic right in the upcoming state election.
Shafie, who is also the Warisan president, Senallang assemblyman and Semporna MP, said many young Sabahans working or studying in Peninsular Malaysia or Sarawak may not be able to return home due to financial constraints and limited time.
“They should exercise their right, because they are in Malaysia.
“There are a lot of young Sabahans we (the political parties) can’t afford to transport here, and the right must be granted to them,” he said during a press conference at the Warisan party headquarters in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday.
Shafie joined a coalition of civil society groups which had urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the EC to allow postal voting for Sabahans living in Peninsular Malaysia in the coming state election.
They said denying the move would undermine citizens’ democratic rights and demanded a clear explanation if rejected.
The NGOs — Bersih, Engage, Rose, Tindak and Projek Sama — also called for a roadmap to expand early and postal voting nationwide.
The groups have numbered Sabahans to the tune of over 400,000 currently residing in peninsular Malaysia.
Shafie said he had met many Sabahans in Kuala Lumpur recently who expressed concern about being unable to vote.
“Some of them called me up and said, ‘Datuk Seri, can we go back?’
“I told them, if you have the right to vote, go back and make sure to exercise that right.
“But if they can’t, then the EC has to look into it,” he said.
He urged the EC to study mechanisms such as postal or early voting for those living outside the state, like systems used abroad.
“For example, in the UK, our people working in embassies are allowed to do postal votes,” Shafie said.
“It’s quite a distance to travel overnight, so the EC must look into how to make it possible here too.”
However, Shafie cautioned against any move that could lead to electoral manipulation or the inclusion of ineligible voters.
“I’m very particular – no phantom voters. Double-check and make sure the person is truly from the village stated in their MyKad,” he stressed.
No new contracts under caretaker government
On another development, Shafie warned that no new contracts or last minute decisions should be made under the caretaker government.
“When it’s already day one (of the dissolution of the state assembly), we can’t spend or sign new contracts.
“We can't have backdated agreements too,” he said, drawing from his experience as a former head of government.
Meanwhile, Shafie also clarified that his one-year pledge focused solely on resolving Sabah’s chronic water woes, not the broader “Tiga Serangkai” issues of water, electricity, and roads.
He cited audit findings showing poorly maintained pumps and equipment as the main cause of unreliable supply.
He added that his administration had terminated unfair contracts with private operators that worsened the crisis, pointing to Sandakan’s six-day water shortage as an example. - October 14, 2025