Why I'm Flying Back to Malaysia to Vote
When absentee voting just isn’t good enough.
BY HUI MEI LIEW KAISER | APRIL 18, 2013
I'm a Malaysian citizen who's been living in Switzerland since I married my German husband two and a half years ago. Ever since I made the move to Europe, though, I've been keeping an eye on the political situation back in my native country. Earlier this year, when it became apparent that a general election was imminent, I flew back to Malaysia -- 6,200 miles away -- just so that I could vote.
Unfortunately, after my arrival, the government decided to hold off on calling the new election, so when I couldn't wait any longer I flew back to Zurich -- only to hear the news that Prime Minister Najib Razak had dissolved parliament. Soon after that the date of the new election was set: May 5.
So I turned around and flew back to Malaysia.
Yeah, it's crazy. But I'm not the only one. Many of my compatriots in Malaysia's far-flung expat community -- it's estimated that there are around one million of us around the world -- are doing the same thing. That's a reflection of how high the stakes are in the upcoming election -- and how strongly many of us want to vote for change.
No comments:
Post a Comment