By Angie S Chin
Lead – The Vote Wisely Project / SVP for CAMOS (Change Advocate Movement Sabah)
KOTA KINABALU: As Sabah prepares for another state election, the air is filled with promises, rallies, and rival flags.
But amid the noise, one issue remains painfully — and shamefully — quiet: The rights of over 200,000 Sabahans working and studying in Semenanjung and Sarawak to vote.
They are our children, our siblings, our neighbours — young people striving for education, parents working tirelessly to provide, and families making ends meet far from home.
Most of them cannot afford to fly back for a single day just to vote. And yet, the Election Commission (SPR) remains silent.
THE ISSUE AT HAND
Under the Article 119 of the Federal Constitution, every Malaysian has the right to vote.
But what good is that right when it becomes a privilege only for those who can afford a flight ticket home?
SPR already provides postal voting for Malaysians overseas, and for armed forces, police, media personnel, and election officers within the country.
So why are Sabahans in Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, or Sarawak — who are still within Malaysia — denied the same right?
VOTING SHOULD BE MADE EASIER, NOT HARDER.
And it is SPR’s duty, not its discretion, to ensure every citizen — regardless of geography or income — can participate fairly.
By ignoring this, SPR is effectively telling hundreds of thousands of Sabahans: “Your right to vote depends on your wallet.”
A QUESTION OF INDEPENDENCE
Now let’s be blunt — Malaysia’s Election Commission (SPR) has long struggled to prove its independence.
Unlike Indonesia’s Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU), which is constitutionally recognised as an independent and publicly accountable body, Malaysia’s SPR operates under the Prime Minister’s Department — the very structure that it should be free from.
Its commissioners are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the Prime Minister’s advice, leaving little room for bipartisan or parliamentary balance.
This structure, by design, breeds dependence — not independence.
Even Singapore’s Elections Department (ELD), despite being under the Prime Minister’s Office, is transparent, efficient, and consistent in upholding voting access — including for citizens abroad.
So why is Malaysia’s SPR, in a nation that calls itself a democracy, making voting harder for its own people?
Why does it continue to treat Sabahans as an afterthought — citizens only when convenient, but invisible when inconvenient?
If SPR can mobilise postal voting for Malaysians in London and Melbourne, what excuse is there for not doing the same for our people in Kuala Lumpur and Kuching?
A CALL FOR UNITY
So far, only Warisan (Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal & YB Munirah Isnaraissah), STAR (Chief Information – Anuar Ghani), UPKO (Datuk Seri Madius Tangau), and one PBS Youth have spoken up on this issue.
But where are the rest of Sabah’s local parties — those who claim to champion our rights and autonomy?
Where is KDM, USNO, LDP, PHRS, PCS, ANAK NEGERI, GAGASAN RAKYAT, PIS, and others?
This is not about politics.
This is about principle and people.
When Sabahans working in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak are left out, our elections no longer reflect the true will of the people.
By staying silent, we risk disenfranchising an entire generation — a generation that left home not out of choice, but out of necessity.
WHY UNITY MATTERS NOW?
Regardless of flag, logo, or ideology — this is the time for Sabah unity. Because this issue strikes at the very heart of our democracy.
Every Sabahan excluded weakens the legitimacy of our state government. Every uncast vote silences a voice that could shape Sabah’s future.
If our leaders can unite — even once — to demand postal voting access for Sabahans in Semenanjung and Sarawak, it will send a powerful message to SPR and Putrajaya alike: That Sabah will not be ignored again.
TO THE SPR — ENOUGH EXCUSES PLEASE.
To the Election Commission (SPR): Sabahans are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding equal access to a constitutional right.
It is your legal, moral, and institutional duty to make voting accessible, not impossible.
Do not let bureaucracy silence democracy.
Do not let distance define who gets to decide Sabah’s destiny.
If you can organise ballots across oceans, surely you can manage postal voting across the South China Sea.
TO ALL SABAH LEADERS
We call on every Sabah-based party — Warisan, STAR, PBS, KDM, USNO, LDP, PHRS, PCS, ANAK NEGERI, GAGASAN RAKYAT, PIS, and others —
Put aside rivalry, just this once.
Stand together for fairness.
Stand together for Sabah.
Stand together for every Sabahan who still believes their voice matters.
Because if Sabah’s leaders cannot unite to defend the most basic right of their own people — what moral ground do they have left to lead?
Let us show Malaysia that when it comes to defending our people’s rights — Sabah stands united, and Sabah stands tall.
