By: Angie S Chin, Lead – Vote Wisely Project / SVP for CAMOS (Change Advocate Movement)
KOTA KINABALU: In recent days, the voices of Sabahans across the nation have grown louder — not in anger, but in collective hope and unity.
Public frustration over this matter continues to grow. One viral social media post on our TikTok Channel — showing a one-way AirAsia ticket offer priced at RM299 for those flying home to vote — has been viewed by over 90,000 people in just five days, highlighting how deeply this issue resonates with the public.
Petitions have been launched, various media statements issued, interviews conducted.
From associations and NGOs to Members of Parliament, many have stepped forward once again to urge the Election Commission of Malaysia (SPR) to extend postal voting to more than 200,000 Sabahans working and studying in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.
This is not a new call. For five years, this issue has been raised, discussed, and debated — yet nothing has changed. Five years.
That’s how long Sabahans have been asking — politely, patiently, persistently — for something so simple, yet so essential: the right to vote, even when we are far from home.
The frustration is real, but so is the perseverance of the people who simply want one thing: to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
We don’t vote every week. We only get this opportunity once every five years. And for that one day, that one chance to be heard — should geography or circumstance silence us?
Currently, postal voting exists for certain categories. If the system can already accommodate three, why is it so difficult to extend one more category — specifically for Sabahans who are living, studying, or working outside their home state but still within Malaysia?
The purpose is clear: to ensure that every Sabahan, no matter where they are, can take part in shaping the future of their homeland.
By refusing this extension, SPR is not just creating inconvenience — it is denying rights.
This denial is unconstitutional and reflects a troubling double standard. Sabahans are citizens of Malaysia.
They deserve equal access to the democratic process, not barriers that silence their voices.
If SPR continues to deny the rights of these 200,000 Sabahans, the implications go far beyond numbers:
I. Democratic Integrity Weakens: The legitimacy of the election outcome will always be questioned when a significant portion of eligible voters are left out.
II. Youth Disenfranchisement Deepens: Many of those affected are young Sabahans pursuing education or building careers away from home. Their exclusion risks breeding apathy and distrust in Malaysia’s electoral system.
III. Regional Inequality Persists: Sabah, already facing decades of underrepresentation, will continue to be sidelined politically when its people cannot fully participate.
IV. Loss of Faith in Institutions: When citizens lose faith in fair access to voting, they lose faith in governance itself — and that loss is far more damaging than any election result.
This is not about politics. It is about fairness.
It is about acknowledging that Sabahans, like all Malaysians, carry dreams for their land — and deserve the chance to decide its future.
We urge the Election Commission of Malaysia to do the right thing in the upcoming 17th Sabah state election.
The Commission’s role is not to make voting harder, but to ease and strengthen the democratic process. If SPR truly serves the rakyat, then it must listen to the rakyat.
Democracy is not a privilege.
It is a right. And for Sabahans who have waited too long and tried too hard, it is time that right is finally respected.
