Postal voting for Sabahans in peninsula key to fair, transparent elections, says Sabah STAR

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR wants the Election Commission (EC) to expand postal voting rights to Sabahans living and working in Peninsular Malaysia, arguing that the credibility and fairness of Malaysia’s electoral process depended on it.

The party’s information chief Anuar Ghani said the current system, which allows Malaysians abroad to vote by post but denies the same right to Sabahans residing in the peninsula, undermines both fairness and transparency in the nation’s democracy.

“If our elections are to be seen as fair and transparent, then every Malaysian must have equal access to vote,” Anuar added.

“It makes no sense that Malaysians in London, Melbourne, or Singapore can vote by post, while Sabahans in Kuala Lumpur, Johor, or Penang cannot. Are their votes any less important simply because they live within our national borders?

Anuar said the current policy draws an “illogical and discriminatory line” between Malaysians living abroad and those who have migrated domestically for work or study, even though both groups face similar barriers to returning home on polling day.

“This is not a question of convenience, it’s a question of fairness,” he said.

“Postal voting for Sabahans in the peninsula is not a special treatment; it’s a necessary reform to ensure equal participation in the democratic process,” he added.

Sabah STAR President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, in raising the issue in Parliament, said that some 300,000 Sabah voters now in the peninsula would not be able to return home to vote due to the high cost of flight tickets.

He added that enabling postal voting for Sabahans in the peninsula would not only boost voter turnout but also enhance public confidence in the integrity of Malaysia’s elections.

“Transparency begins with inclusion,” Anuar said, adding that true national unity starts with equal access to democracy.