Malaysians residing abroad are still unable to register as overseas postal voters.
Relatives of mine on a work contract abroad have tried in vain to register as overseas postal voters at the nearest Malaysian embassy. (They are already registered voters in Malaysia.)
They wrote to the embassy but eventually received a reply stating that only government servants and students working/studying abroad are eligible to vote by post at the embassy. Other Malaysians have to return to Malaysia to vote, the embassy said.
That’s a large number of Malaysians disenfranchised, as things stand. This is so unlike many countries that allow their overseas nationals to vote from abroad as a matter of course.
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There is a legal and constitutional requirement to be met before Malaysian residing abroad can register to vote and vote in any general election whilst still abroad. The Malaysian bar has been misleading people in the question.
BN will utilize all dirty tactics to win the election…
Do not count on overseas voters, all of us must come forward to vote.
Overseas Malaysians can show your unhappiness with this dubious policy by other means of “political participation” e.g.
donate money, set up blogs, donate your professional skills and time,
educate your relatives and friends back home who are apolitical or who are not well-informed, etc.
Change is coming, help to accelerate it !
I’d still come back to vote. I don’t trust that our votes will be counted as Malaysian Embassies are still run by a BN government. Our vote could get lost somewhere between the overseas embassy and the EC.
According to the Malaysian government, anyone living abroad can afford plane tickets to fly back to the motherland to vote.
This whole thing stinks. The ruling party knows that if they allow Malaysians living abroad to vote…they will vote for change.