I've been a registered voter since 1997, but I didn't register as a postal voter ahead of time, so after asking around and being told that registration for postal voters was closed ages ago, I thought there goes my chance of being a postal voter. Then, last Monday, after stumbling onto a few blogs, I realized that I still had a chance to be a postal voter by filling out Borang A and submitting it to SPR before 27th of February, 72 hours after nomination day (24th February). I called the Embassy and was told by the guy in the Consular section that yes, I could come and pick up Borang A, but I have to send it to SPR by myself.
Hubby was supposed to be teaching in Ichikawa Ono that day, but I asked him to cancel the class, and let me go and pick up this Borang A in the Embassy instead. He was feeling rather groggy too, so he agreed to look after the boys while I go to Shibuya. Mind you, when I realized this, it was already 2.30 p.m., and hubby suggested me to go pick up this Borang A the next day - but I insisted to get it done and over with sooner rather than later.
So off I went to Shibuya - cycled as fast as I could to Asakusa eki, boarded Ginza line subway, read "The Real History behind the Da Vinci Code" while passing all 19 stations to Shibuya, and practically ran to board a Transee bus to Daikanyama which stopped next to the Embassy. By the time I reached the Malaysian Embassy, it was 4.15 p.m. and the guard dutifully informed me that the consular desk is closed for the day. I explained that I was not there on matters regarding visa, but the election. (I didn't know the word for 'election' in nihonggo, so I said 'election' ala Japanese Engrish style which sounded, ehem, "erection" - while keeping a very straight face). The guard made a few calls until I was finally greeted by some guy from the Consular desk - after I asked to meet the head of Consular since the guard seemed so reluctant to let me in. By then it was already over 4.20 p.m.
Turned out the guy who let me in was the very guy who had answered my queries earlier, so he quickly got the Borang A for me. I asked if I could take more than one form to be distributed to my friends (hubby planned to postpone his class to the next day, Tuesday, when it was still possible for those who had their name on the electoral roll to register as postal voter and hubby would be meeting a lot of friends who hadn't register as postal voters), and I was given the whole form pad, consisting 13 forms, and 3 small slips containing SPR HQ address, where the form should be sent to.
I dropped by Redha's office at the Human Resource Department. He was surprised when I told him that I was there to pick Borang A up to register as postal voter, apart from some other HRD related business. Apparently, he was told that the registration was closed in October 2007. I told him that I've read on several blogs that those whose name is on the electoral vote could still register as postal voter, by filling up Borang A and sending it to SPR.
I fall under the three categories of Malaysian citizens living overseas who are allowed to cast postal votes under the Election Regulations (Electoral Roll) 2002 and Election Regulations (Postal Votes) 2003 - which are military personnel, students, staff of embassies and high commissions and their spouses. Malaysians living abroad who fall outside these categories cannot cast postal votes for God-knows-what-reasons. Didn't make sense to me that some are more equal that others regarding this matter, but I also believe that it might be good to abolish the postal votes system altogether. It's more amenable to both fraud and manipulation than voting at polling places, it depends too much on the reliability of the postal service, and there's concern on the use of absentee ballots - or so claimed those who are against postal voting.
Anyway, I quickly filled up Borang A right after I reached home, filling in the blanks by referring to my ballot details as they appear on the SPR electoral roll online. Tuesday morning, on which day this piece of news appeared in NST (when it was already too late for most to act - but who says SPR has ever been really effective in disseminating valuable information), I was busy trying to call SPR HQ. Could not get through, so I tried calling up SPR Kedah instead, where I was supposed to vote. I could hear the operator's voice clearly, but she could not hear me back, and she hung up on me, all five times I tried. I was confused on what to do - since it was too late to courier the Borang A back home to reach SPR in time, I was hoping to just fax it, but I needed to know to whom should I fax it so that my name would be printed as "pemilih tidak hadir" and not as "pemilih hadir" on the ballots.
As it happened, in between making calls, I chatted with a friend who is accompanying her husband doing PhD overseas. She said that both her and her husband are not voting as postal voters even though they are both registered voters.
"But why not? Surely it's important to vote. It's a responsibility that we might be queried about in the hereafter?" (yes, I personally take my voting duty very seriously, not just a moral obligation, but also a religious one)
"Dear, don't be so naive. How reliable is the postal vote system? A friend of mine voted in 2004 for the opposition, but when she and her husband waited patiently for the counting of postal votes at her constituency - none of the postal votes went for the opposition. Something was wrong - both her and her husband's votes had been tampered with somewhere"
"But the officers here in the Embassy seem like decent people with integrity who won't tamper with ballots...I trust them..."
"Okay then, go ahead and vote and do let me know how it goes after that..."
What my friend told me scared me and put me in a dilemma. I believe in voting. I want to vote - but I do not want to risk my vote being tampered with. I didn't mind balik kampung to cast my ballot in Kedah in the past two elections, but I am not rich enough to buy an air ticket to return to Malaysia solely to ensure that my vote is all mine and not tampered with in any way.
I suddenly found myself reluctant to be a postal voter, yet I also do not want my ballot to be used up by some cheats or phantom voters. What was that again - I don't have to worry about phantom voters because of the usage of indelible ink?
Some friends finally suggested me to ask my family/acquaintances in my polling station to alert the polling and counting agent that I will be here in Japan on the polling day, so that they can issue a protest if anyone come up and use my ballot paper. I might not be able to cast my vote, but at least I can ensure that my vote is not being used by anyone else. Hmm, not the best option, but at least it ensures that nobody is taking what is legally, rightfully, exclusively mine - my vote.
I have since asked for help around and it seems like I might have found my way out - to be a "pemilih hadir" who is definitely going to be "tidak hadir" and noted so in advance by some polling and counting agent. A friend who had registered as a postal voter in Japan, but found his name listed as "pemilih hadir" in his hometown, has also taken similar option. (Funny to note that his wife - who registered as postal voter the same time he did, was listed as a "pemilih tidak hadir" aka postal voter... hmmm...)
To be honest, in the past, none of the people I voted for with exception of one, has actually won. But who knows, maybe without my vote the people I endorsed from afar might win this time around...
Still for those who are on the electoral vote and could vote - please do so. In Huzir Sulaiman's words -
"And even if you claim not to like a single one of the candidates in your constituency – which is entirely understandable, given that political parties of all sorts are occasionally obliged to distribute seats based on loyalty rather than competence, or indeed sentience – there will always be one candidate very slightly better than the others: the “least worst”.
Please vote for the least worst. Doesn’t Malaysia deserve the least worst, at least?"
Happy voting!
