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Tuesday 1 November 2011

Overseas Malaysians Sue Election Commission

Now these are a bunch of people that I am proud of!! The good thing about people who have travelled abroad and observed other cultures and lifestyles, is that they wouldn't put up with being bullied.

Malaysians working overseas sue election authorities in attempt to secure right to vote

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A group of Malaysians have sued election authorities in what they described Monday as an attempt to extend voting rights to nearly 1 million citizens living abroad.

Rights activists have long criticized restrictions that prevent most Malaysians abroad from casting ballots. Exceptions include government workers, military personnel and full-time students.

Another law has prevented university students from publicly voicing support for political parties since the 1970s.

A group of Malaysians called “My Overseas Vote” said in a statement that six citizens working in the United Kingdom have asked the Kuala Lumpur High Court to force the Election Commission to register them as voters before the next general elections, widely expected by mid-2012.

“To say that only certain groups of citizens are allowed the postal ballot is nonsense that amounts to outright discrimination,” Teo Hoon Seong, one of the litigants, said in the statement.

Read the rest at the Washington Post.

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