Thursday 18 April 2013

Foreign Policy: Why I'm Flying Back to Malaysia to Vote



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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.

Read more here.

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