It’s been two months since the Election Commission reported that 3.7
million Malaysians aged 21 and above have not registered as voters, and looks
like they are still doing nothing about it. Nothing effective, at least.
It’s been two months since the Election Commission reported that 3.7 million Malaysians aged 21 and above have not registered as voters, and looks like they are still doing nothing about it. Nothing effective, at least.
Viral videos can only go so far – even my 9 year old cousin can put
together a great video and get viewers from all over the world via Youtube. And
what about the “turun padang” campaigns they just mentioned? Are they really
going to speak to our parents and tell us what naughty boys and girls we are…?
Will they ask them to take out the “rotan” on us if we don’t go out on voting
day to vote?
If they listen very carefully they would actually find out that the whole
registration and voting process thing is too “mafan” for most of us. They
really don’t get it, it’s so frustrating and troublesome to even take the first
step and register as a voter.
25 year old Yeong Hong Chun said he went to register as a voter late last
year. He filled out a form at a school in Bandar Utama, but when he checked
later it didn't go through.
Pix credit: http://coloradoshchoolnurse.org |
25 year old Yeong Hong Chun said he went to register as a voter late last
year. He filled out a form at a school in Bandar Utama, but when he checked
later it didn't go through.
"After I found out that registration was closed, I went online and
checked the official Election Commission website but my name wasn't there. Then
I asked my friends and they said that they needed to register 2 or 3 times just
to get it. They had to physically go to the school to register
again."
He added that in his opinion, "Youngsters don't register to vote
because they don't know where to go. People don't register to vote because it
is troublesome, especially when the registration doesn't go through.”
Hanis Azarea, 24, said that "I would do it if it was a click
away" and that for the wired and tech savvy generation, SMS alerts and
apps are a way to make the youth feel more involved and engaged in the
electoral process.
Pix Credit: http://www.zakon.org |
Hanis Azarea, 24, said that "I would do it if it was a click
away" and that for the wired and tech savvy generation, SMS alerts and
apps are a way to make the youth feel more involved and engaged in the
electoral process.
Shara A Palanivel, 23, agreed and added that technology could help make the
process more convenient by automatically registering eligible voters and that
"it would definitely help if I could register online."
Now are you surprised that no one bothers to vote, or even register to
vote? The authorities can hope that our parents will do their part to convince
and encourage us to vote, but if they don’t do their part in hearing us out,
then why should we do the same?
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